Undercover As Steve's Girlfriend
by VanillaAshes
Summary: "Are you happy?" Bucky asked, how could just a simple question lead Steve to call his team mate, his friend, to ask her to pretend to be his girlfriend? And why would she agree?
1. Are you happy?

**Author's Note:**

 **Short first chapter to set the story :) Hope you like it.**

 **Beta: ThisVioletOfMine**

* * *

Steve was sitting opposite Bucky, and Scott (aka Ant Man) and Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) were standing to one side, talking about their own matters. Bucky had successfully been able to retain memories over the last two weeks since they had found him with his arm trapped. Steve had been answering his constant questions more than anyone else, considering he knew Bucky the best. However, this next question threw him; he hadn't been expecting it.

"Are you happy?" Bucky asked him, looking him straight in the eye.

Steve hesitated before answering, "Yes."

"You don't seem sure," Bucky said. He had always been able to see through Steve's lies, and now wasn't any different.

"That's probably because he's missing his girlfriend," Sam interjected. Steve wasn't sure if he was trying to help or just wanted to make a joke, but by the pleased and hopeful look on Bucky's face, he had bought it.

Steve didn't want to upset Bucky and it looked like having a girlfriend would prove he was happy. "Yeah, haven't seen her in awhile."

"And you're stuck here with me? I don't want to interrupt your life, Steve!" Bucky told him.

"You're not interrupting my life! You're my best friend." Steve responded instantly, ignoring Sam as he cleared his throat. "She understands."

"Still, I don't mind if you want to go and visit her for a bit..." Bucky replied, a soft smile on his face.

Steve shook his head. "I'm not going to leave you, Buck."

"Yeah! She can just come here!" Sam offered with a helpful smile.

It wasn't helpful at all; firstly, he didn't _have_ a girlfriend. Secondly, what did Sam expect him to do? Hire an actress? He looked at his friend in utter shock. "What?" Sam asked innocently before continuing, "Is Natasha busy?"

"Natasha? Nice name," Bucky commented.

Realisation hit Steve. Sam wasn't making things up- he actually thought that he and Natasha were dating. He stood up, hoping he didn't look awkward.

"I'll call her... see what she's doing." With that he walked out of the room and slipped out the window- he didn't want anybody overhearing exactly what he was about to say. With a deep breath, he dialled her number and waited for her to answer.

"Romanoff," She greeted, her tone of voice professional and closed off.

"Natasha, it's Steve." He replied, feeling like an idiot.

"What can I do for you?" Natasha asked simply.

Steve took a breath; how did you ask somebody to pretend to be your girlfriend without sounding like a desperate little boy and getting laughed at by her? "Bucky asked if I was dating anybody, and Sam told him I was dating you. I didn't deny it and they _kinda_ suggested that you could come…" He trailed off, not even finishing his sentence. He was just about to laugh it off, turn it into a joke, when she spoke.

"Sure, where are you?" She inquired.

Steve looked around; he wasn't sure if her coming was really a good idea. Did he actually need to ask her to pretend, or was she going to clear things up? Either way, he knew it was going to end badly. "It's probably easier if I just send you the coordinates." He said after a few seconds of silence.

"Okay, see you soon," Natasha said before ending the call.

Steve stared out into space for a few minutes before he made his way back into the isolated building- he was already dreading what was going to happen. Would it be too late to call her back?


	2. Meet the best friend

**Author's note:**

 **Hello, quick thank you to the eight individuals who have already chosen to follow this story, that one lovely individual who favourited it and that amazing person who took the time to review my first chapter! Cookies for you all!**

 **Shout-out to my beta for this story: ThisVioletOfMine**

* * *

Steve heard somebody knock on the front door and stepped out of the shower, tying a towel around his waist and picking up his shield, stepping out of the room quietly. He relaxed as he heard Natasha's voice and was about to go back into the shower when his ears made out what words were being said.

"The Winter Soldier, eh? Never thought I'd be this close to you… if you weren't Steve's best friend, I would have shot you by now." Natasha spoke clearly, the threat evident in her tone of voice.

He made his way out quickly, not caring about being half naked. When he burst in, he noticed Bucky and Natasha both glaring at one another. "Natasha." He said, gaining both of their attentions.

Natasha's eyes flickered from him to Bucky before she took a step back and smirked. "Steve, you didn't need to get undressed for me. I could have helped with that," She teased lightly.

Steve sighed, and the thought of undressing her flew into his mind as he remembered her 'bye bye bikinis' comment a few years back. She had met Bucky when he was the Winter Soldier. "Can I have a word with you… in private?"

Natasha nodded and side-stepped around Bucky. "Hey, Sam." She greeted lightly before walking past Steve, down the hallway and into the bathroom.

Steve looked at Bucky, raised his hand and had Bucky sit back down. "Sorry." He muttered, noticing a very stunned Scott standing by the door. He then turned and followed Natasha into the bathroom. "I didn't call you here so that you could threaten my best friend!" He snapped quietly.

"No, you called me here to pretend to be your girlfriend," Natasha responded, a tiny smirk on her face.

Steve froze. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, because he _did_ call her to pretend to be his girlfriend. Of course he hadn't said those exact words-but it wasn't hard to connect the pieces. "I…"

"I didn't come here to threaten him, but he looked right at me and I saw _him_. I didn't see your best friend," Natasha admitted.

Steve sighed. "I forgot that you had encountered him before New York. I'm sorry."

Natasha shook her head. "Don't apologise. I can handle it. Now, what do you need me to do?"

Steve blinked as he processed what she had just said. "You can leave, if you want..." He offered, but when she just shook her head, he smiled. "Just being here is enough, thanks."

Natasha smiled at him. "No, I'll stay. Pretending to date you seems fun." Steve nodded in reply and she stepped forward, resting a cold hand on his bare chest and kissing his cheek. She looked up quizzically for a second as her left hand ran through his hair. "You still have shampoo in your hair."

Steve's hand flew to his hair. "I was in the shower when you arrived."

"Don't let me stop you," Natasha chuckled as she stepped back, her eyes flashing over his bare torso. She sat down on the toilet seat.

Steve looked around awkwardly. "With _you_ in here?"

"We haven't seen each other in weeks, and I think a greeting would last longer than three minutes. Go on, I won't look," Natasha promised, waving her hand in the direction of the shower.

Steve stepped into the stall awkwardly, and he kept glancing at her before removing the towel and turning the shower back on. In the mirror's reflection, he was sure he caught her sneaking a glance. He didn't say anything; she was doing him a favour, after all, so who was he to correct her on anything?

* * *

Steve and Natasha walked out of the bathroom together, his hair still wet and hers dry, making it obvious that she hadn't entered the shower with him. She glanced at him before approaching Bucky, who instantly became less relaxed and defensive. "Bucky, I wish to apologise for my previous behaviour. It was… disrespectful of me to bring up your past. I understand that… that is not you anymore."

Bucky nodded. "Thank you. I hadn't realised that Steve had spoken about my involvement in… about me being the Win-"

"He has only said good things about you; however, you and I have met before." Natasha interrupted. His expression slowly changed to one of horror as he obviously realised what she had just implied. "But you were just following orders, and I'd be a hypocrite if I held that against you. Can we start again?"

Bucky nodded. "I'm sorry."

Natasha stepped forward. "You must be Bucky; Steve has told me a lot about you. I'm Natasha." She held her hand out for him to shake.

Bucky looked at her hand for a long time before grasping it and shaking. "Nice to meet you, Natasha. How did you and Steve meet?"

"My best friend had been kidnapped and was being mind-controlled by an alien god, so I joined Steve's team to save him and take his captor down. How about you?" Natasha answered casually. She saw him glance up at Steve and gently pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"We met at school," Bucky replied, obviously stunned at what she had said.

Natasha nodded. "Great. Now who are _you_?" She questioned the only stranger in the room.

"Hi, I'm Scott." The stranger replied with a wave of his hand. He had a goofy smile on his face and it didn't take him long to ask, "So, you're Cap's woman?"

Natasha glared at him for a moment; that statement made it sound like she was his property. "Yes." She answered shortly. His smile increased, but before he was able to respond, she added, "You are my least favourite person in this room already, and I am in the company of somebody who shot me once." She turned away from him.

"Who shot you?" Sam asked, glancing at Steve suspiciously.

"It was _not_ Steve," Natasha informed him, and his glance changed to Bucky. Natasha sighed. "This is a _lovely_ 'meet the best friend.'" She commented sarcastically. She tensed slightly when Steve's hand rested on her shoulder.

"Maybe we should all get some rest- it's very late." He suggested, even though it was barely ten in the evening.

"Good idea," Sam agreed instantly.

Scott and Bucky nodded in agreement, too, before Bucky spoke.

"I'll take the couch in here… I'd rather not share a room with the lovebirds." He offered a wink to Steve and Natasha but didn't say anything else.

Natasha could tell he was trying his hardest to be normal, to _not_ be the monster he had been for years; and she knew exactly how he felt. She wasn't sure she had made it any better by bringing up his past, though. With a small nod, she walked over to Bucky and gave him a hug, glad that he barely hugged her back. "Thank you." She said gratefully before collecting her bag and turning to Steve; it looked like they would be sharing a room.

Steve said goodnight to Bucky and the other lads before leading her to one of the two bedrooms. He had barely closed the door before he said lightly, "I'll take the floor."

"This isn't the 1940's, Steve; two people of the opposite sex _can_ share a bed." Natasha said simply as she pulled her pyjamas from her bag- she didn't think he would appreciate how she _usually_ slept.

Steve cleared his throat as a small blush appeared on his cheeks. "I don't mind taking the floor." He replied awkwardly.

Natasha kept a straight face; she wasn't going to admit how much she loved torturing him like this. "No, we'll share the bed. I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing you had to sleep on the floor because of me."

Indecision covered his face before he nodded. "Okay… but the bed is rather small… And I really _like_ the floor."

Natasha stared him down for a moment. "Then I'll sleep on the floor, too. You are sleeping with me, bed or not."

Steve sighed. "Okay, we'll share the bed." He relented, "I'll change in the bathroom." He took what looked like lounge trousers and a normal t-shirt and left the room.

Natasha took that as her cue and changed. It was a warm night, so she opted to bring shorts and a strappy pyjama top- although she had never expected that she would actually need to change into them. She slid into the bed as he walked in, neatly laying his clothes on the chair. She moved the sheets out of the way and patted the bed beside her. "Come on, I don't bite… aren't you going to be too warm in those clothes?"

"It can get chilly a little later," Steve told her, and she wasn't sure if it was the truth or not. But she decided not to question it as he closed the door and walked over to the bed, taking a seat.

Natasha had to admit, he was rather muscular and sharing a single bed with him seemed problematic; but she was undercover as his girlfriend and if anyone walked in and found them not sharing a bed, it would raise suspicions. She slipped over a bit as he laid down and then shuffled closer to him so that she wasn't nearly falling off the bed. "Are we actually going to go sleep?" She questioned. The expression on his face showed what he thought she meant, so she decided to clarify, "I'm not tired; it's pretty early."

Steve took a breath. "We don't have to go sleep... what did you want to do?"

Natasha bent down and took something out of her bag. "Let me play some background sounds… how squeaky is this bed?"

"Background sounds?" Steve asked.

Natasha moved on the bed and then there was a loud bang as it hit the wall. She felt Steve's hand lightly touching her arm; he was obviously ready to pull her to safety. "This bed isn't-"

The door barged open to reveal Bucky. "What was that?" He asked, looking ready to fight. However, he visibly froze when he noticed them, obviously realising that nothing was wrong. Steve quickly slid out of bed. "Sorry, I heard a bang."

"Uhh… this bed was more unstable than I anticipated," Natasha said sheepishly, holding back a laugh as she pulled the covers over herself completely up to her neck. She enjoyed seeing both Steve and Bucky looking so incredibly awkward.

"I won't barge in again," Bucky promised, backing away. He pulled the door closed as he left.

Steve looked at her. "You're not going to do that again, are you?" When she shook her head, he returned to the bed.

"Perhaps going to sleep isn't the _worst_ idea," Natasha suggested as she dropped the box into her bag and slid down onto the bed slightly. "Good night?"

Steve nodded, sliding down, too. He turned off the lamp that was on his bedside table. "Good night, Natasha. Thank you."

"Anytime," She replied before closing her eyes. She laid there silently as she thought about the best way to approach this mission; she knew it was strange that she was approaching this as a normal mission, but honestly didn't care. She knew missions, she knew acting, she knew being whomever she had to be to get the job done-and right now, she was Steve's girlfriend. As her eyes opened and she looked at him, she wasn't surprised to find him looking back at her. "Yes?"

"Why are you doing this?" Steve asked. It was a cryptic question; it could mean why was she going to sleep, or why she wanted to share a bed, but she knew he wanted to know how she was okay with pretending to be his girlfriend. He looked genuinely confused.

"We're friends. I'd do anything for you." Natasha replied simply as she offered him a smile.

He smiled back and closed his eyes. She followed suit. It took a few hours before she drifted into a light sleep, by which time she had thought of a range of ways to solidify the girlfriend role without making Steve uncomfortable- and a few that would make him _very_ uncomfortable.

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 **If you have the time, a review will be _oh so_ appreciated!**


	3. How long have you been dating?

**Author's Note:**

 **Wow, thank you so much for fav's, following and those delightful reviews! It honestly makes me smile with glee!**

 **Shout out to my beta: TheVioletOfMine :)**

* * *

Her eyes flew open not much later when Steve moved beside her. One glance and she knew he wasn't in distress; however, she quickly learnt that he was a hugger. She was very shocked, as she had seen footage from when he had been defrosted and he appeared to be a very heavy and solid sleeper. She hadn't expected him to move. After a quick calculation, she rolled onto her side to face him- she didn't want him to squish her; he was very heavy- and eventually used him as a pillow. It didn't affect her sleep, but he seemed to be happier as he remained asleep. She closed her eyes again and rested; his heartbeat and breathing was annoying at first until she brought it into her subconscious- it was constant.

A sound woke her awhile after that, and she became very aware that the door was opening. She reached out and grabbed her gun, aiming it at the door and ready to fire. She didn't fire, nor did she lower the weapon when she noticed it was only Sam. In the background she noticed Bucky and Scott, both pretending that they weren't there.

"Are you two wanting breakfast?" Sam asked, ignoring the gun.

"Yeah, we'll be out in a minute," A voice beneath her replied. Natasha remained deathly still as the door closed before lowering the weapon and looking down at Steve, who was literally beneath her- she was lying _on_ him. "Morning," he greeted with a smile.

Natasha rolled straight off of him, placing her gun into her bag, and stood up. "Morning."

"Did you sleep well?" Steve asked her, not making any attempt to move from the bed.

Natasha tilted her head slightly before smirking. "Yes. Did you?" He nodded and went to say something, but she spoke first. "Did you want me to help with your problem?" Her eyes flickered to his midsection and he went slightly tense.

"Uhh, no thank you, Natasha," Steve responded politely.

Natasha glanced towards the door in contemplation before sitting back on the bed. "Steve, I _am_ your girlfriend... it's what I'm here for."

Steve looked pretty awkward. "But… you're not re… you don't have to do anything you don't want to, Natasha. I just… have never shared a bed with…" He cleared his throat. "Meet you in the living room for breakfast?"

Natasha nodded. Things like this she wasn't going to force or even pressure anybody to do. She kissed his cheek before sliding off the bed again. "As you wish." She went to walk out, but was stopped.

"Don't you want to get dressed first?" Steve asked her.

She turned gracefully and bent down to retrieve her bag; this was why she never usually slept in pyjamas; maybe she should sleep in a tactical suit tonight- after all, it was obvious that Bucky, Scott and Sam had no issues walking into the room. But it wasn't realistic. She turned away from Steve and changed; she didn't mind either way if he looked or didn't. She then offered him a smile and walked out of the room.

As she walked into the living room, she was greeted with a chorus of 'good morning' to which she replied with a smile and poured herself some cereal. "So, you _do_ eat breakfast?" Sam questioned with a cheeky grin.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Yes." She answered before pouring herself some coffee and then pouring milk into her bowl. She remained by the counter and ate her cereal, occasionally glancing up at the three men. It appeared that they weren't actually that comfortable around each other; Bucky looked the most uncomfortable and the other two seemed uncomfortable around him, too. But they seemed semi-cool with each other. She realised that Steve was probably the anchor for all of them- although she still wasn't sure who Scott was, and she was restraining herself from interrogating him.

"Did you sleep well?" Scott asked, being the one to break the silence.

Natasha felt herself smile slightly, "Yes." She replied shortly before finishing her cereal and turning to face them all with her cup of coffee in her hands, "How about you three?"

There was a chorus of 'good, thanks' from the three boys. When did they start talking in unison? That was pretty creepy.

"What do you do for fun around here?" She questioned, taking a seat on the couch and sipping her coffee slowly; it was still steaming hot. She raised an eyebrow when they looked at each other. "You don't just sit here and talk, right?"

"Well, there's not that much to do here. And talking is really good for Bucky to…" Sam started to explain.

Natasha could understand how talking is good, but it's one technique she never paid any attention to. "And remaining here with three other guys is definitely the best method for personal growth," she commented sarcastically.

"So we let him roam free?" Scott asked.

Natasha sighed and stood up. "He's not your prisoner, right?" She asked as she began walking from the room, "Don't treat him like one." She slipped into Steve's bedroom, not waiting for their responses.

Steve turned to face her, fully dressed; it appeared he was just about to come out. "Everything okay?" He asked her, concerned.

"They said you guys talk… like, _all_ the time," Natasha spoke, her eyes wide. "I didn't sign up for talking; making out, sure, but _talking_?"

Steve stared at her for a few moments, obviously trying to process what she had just said. "What's wrong with talking?"

Natasha returned his stare for a moment. "We haven't collaborated a story about our relationship! Who asked who out? How long have we been dating? Who knows about us dating? Do we have any future plans set out? What stage in the relationship are we? When-"

"Okay, so we should avoid answering questions about our relationship," Steve agreed with a nod, interrupting her.

* * *

"How long have you been dating, exactly?" Bucky asked.

Steve couldn't tell his best friend to not ask questions; telling Sam politely to respect their privacy and dismissing Scott was pretty easy. However, when it came to Bucky, he couldn't, and he opened his mouth to make up an answer, the hesitation already there.

"Officially, we haven't told many people; I was surprised when Steve told you three. However, if I had to give an answer, I'd say it's been about a year." Natasha answered as her hand moved to rest on his thigh.

"Where was your first kiss?" Scott asked.

"On an elevator, in the mall," Natasha answered before he had the chance to dismiss the question. She didn't lie; that really was their first kiss. "I initiated it and he looked _so_ awkward." The small smirk on her face was evident.

"I wouldn't say I was _awkward_ ," Steve defended lightly, because he was trying his hardest to not look awkward right now with her hand so casually rubbing his leg.

Natasha raised an eyebrow and laughed. "He avoided eye contact for nearly an hour."

Steve opened his mouth and closed it again. "Can you blame me? You teased me relentlessly after that."

"I did not," Natasha defended before laughing and adding, "much."

"Where did he take you on your first date?" Bucky asked, wide-eyed.

Steve looked at Natasha expectantly, but it looked like she wasn't going to answer, "Uhm, we…" He began, stumbling over his words; he could see that Bucky was starting to get skeptical. He felt her move her hand and take his, giving him a supportive squeeze before intertwining their fingers.

"I can't exactly pinpoint what would be classified as our first date, we just… We didn't label anything for a few months," Natasha interjected. "But I would say when we went to the cafe down that alley."

Steve nodded, he tried to think about any cafes he and Natasha had went to, but came up blank, "Right."

"How boring for a first date!" Scott exclaimed rudely, then got elbowed in the ribs for his troubles. "I mean, uh… Did you at least get laid?" Sam glared at him, but he seemed to be ignoring him.

"Who exactly are you?" Natasha demanded, her glare now on Scott as she let go of Steve's hand.

"He's a friend of Sam's," Steve answered for Scott; he didn't want another argument to occur.

"Who are you?" Natasha repeated, dismissing Steve as her focus did not change.

Scott seemed to become sweatier, gulping loudly before speaking, "I- uh, I mean… What he said! I'm-a-friend-of-Sam's." His last sentence came out in a mumble as her scowl only intensified.

"Occupation?" Natasha questioned him. Steve leant back on the couch; he might as well just let Natasha ask her questions for now- she was being civilised and Bucky didn't seem to mind it.

Once again, Scott gulped, looking around at the others in the room as a plea for help, but it seemed they didn't want to intervene. "I'm, uh, I'm… a future Avenger! In training and everything! Right, Steve?" His look was pointed and desperately screamed, 'don't let this woman murder me!'

Steve raised his hands in surrender, holding back a laugh, "I've learnt to not get in the way of Natasha."

"Future Avenger," Natasha scoffed. "If being an Avenger is your only job, you're going to be unemployed by the time I'm done with you," She stated.

Steve took Natasha's hand gently and she looked at him; he tried to silently tell her to lay off him. Somehow she understood what he wanted.

"Any more questions?" She asked, leaning against Steve as she kept ahold of his hand.

Once again, it was Bucky who elected to ask the questions, probably because he had the best chance of getting an answer. "Have you two made any future plans, such as marriage?"

Natasha held up her left hand. Steve looked at it- she was thankfully wearing no rings; he didn't think he could pretend to be engaged, "We are not engaged."

While Bucky looked slightly disappointed at this, he perked up when he heard Sam's question.

"Are you _planning_ to, Stevie-boy?" His voice was full of jest, though the slightest bit of genuine curiosity could be perceived.

Steve coughed awkwardly, "No plans yet."

Scott's hand shot up, "I have a question, can I ask it?" He asked; obviously he didn't want to ask it straight out without permission- had Natasha scared him that much?

"Sc-" Steve started before being interrupted by Natasha.

"Sam, you're up," she decided.

Scott visibly wilted at being passed over, but instead of objecting, he just dropped his hand and pouted.

Sam seemed surprised by her suddenly pulling him back into the conversation, but recovered quickly, "Were you two dating when we met?"

Steve shook his head, "No, not really." He answered.

Scott's hand shot up once the question had been answered, but Natasha made a point to direct her attention to Bucky, so Steve did, too.

"Tell me, Natasha," He began, "Is Steve here as big of a romantic as he always claimed to be?" His face was pure mischief and he elbowed Steve's arm as he spoke.

"He's the worst. He tries to be all gentlemanly all the time, makes me want to punch him half the time," Natasha answered. "But romantic?" She pulled an indecisive face.

"What's that face? I _am_ romantic," Steve defended lightly, looking at her with wide eyes.

Sam smiled fondly, the expression strange on him. "Ah, young love. So naive." He gushed, making the other guys chuckle lightly. "What about you, Steve? Is Tasha here a real delight to love? Because I think my girlfriend could learn a few things from her if that's the case."

"But I thought you were single?" Scott asked in confusion, his hand still in the air.

Sam shrugged. "I was trying to make the question less creepy. But go on, Stevie, is she?"

"She's a real lady," Steve complimented. However, the compliment dropped to the floor at Natasha's scoff, which she tried to hide with a cough.

The three men opposite Steve turned varying glares to him.

"Dude," Sam began, voice low and menacing.

"What have you _done_ to her self-esteem? She's being _self-depreciating_ , Steve!" Bucky cried, just as intense as his friends.

Even Scott had stopped his whining for a moment to spare Steve a scowl. "Not cool, man. Don't you know that women need constant praise and compliments? Otherwise how will they live and love themselves?"

Sam scoffed this time. "Says the _divorced_ man." And then it was back to a normal atmosphere, as though the last thirty seconds of dialogue hadn't happened. "Do you two have _anything_ in common?"

Steve froze as he realised he didn't know much about Natasha- what did she like? "We work well together on missions," Natasha inputted. "We mainly talk."

"That's-" Scott started but suddenly stopped. "... Nevermind. Now will somebody please _call on me_?"

"What was your relationship like before you started dating?" Bucky asked, completely ignoring Scott.

"Teammates, partners, friends and then more than friends; in that order," Natasha answered.

"That's so nice!" Bucky cried happily. "It's lovely how women are considered equal with men now! It gives great chances to meet and work together."

"Wait, was there ever any romantic tension? What about jealousy? Surely there were other dudes on your team who wanted to hit that." Scott had to ruin things once again, and for a moment they all hoped that maybe that had been the question he'd been waiting to ask. But no… his hand was still in the air. Dang.

Steve sighed, "There was that thing with B-"

Natasha's free hand slapped onto Steve's mouth, creating a loud noise and stopping him instantly, "We have a large level of trust. He has nothing to worry about." She answered, not removing her hand. Steve nodded in agreement.

Sam nodded along. "Yeah, well, that's good."

Scott flailed his arm around slightly; wasn't it getting tired by now?

"Scott, so help me, why don't you just ASK already?" Sam said, obviously getting slightly annoyed with the other man's actions.

"No! This has to be civil, and I want people to pay attention when I ask. It's important!" Scott said indignantly.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Sam replied, sighing. He turned back to the couple. "How often do you go on dates?"

Natasha groaned, rolling her eyes, "How about we move the questions around. Sam, when are you going to get a girlfriend? Bucky, how are you liking this time period? Scott, put your arm down before I chop it off."

The three seemed momentarily stunned, sharing a collective owlish blink.

"Uh… Well, see, I'm searching for my one true bae, so…" Sam began, stuttering a bit.

"It's nice… I like that video thing… YouTube? Yeah, it's wonderful." Bucky said quite awkwardly, like one does when being careful not to insult their in-laws.

Scott put his hand down.

"Play nice," Steve teased. "Scott, ask your question."

Scott jumped at the chance, sighing in relief. " _Finally!_ Now, I don't want anybody to get offended with the question, but it has to be asked."

"Get on with it, Scott!"

"Yeesh, sorry… Are you waiting until after marriage or have you already-"

"If you value your life, you will not finish that sentence," Natasha warned darkly.

Steve leant forward, literally putting himself between Scott and Natasha as he looked at Scott, "That is a private matter."

Scott pouted, leaning back in his seat. "Yeah, right. You _wish_ it was a private matter! You losers, always ruining my fun…" He grumped.

"I believe that it is very disrespectful to ask somebody about that, Scott. What a man and women does in the bedroom should remain between them. You should apologise to the both of them," Bucky stated seriously, his stance defensive. Steve realised he was defending him, like he always had.

Natasha stood up. "It's fine, Bucky. Men lost their manners over the years." She looked at Steve, "I'm going to grab a shower. I trust you can answer any more questions without me."

Steve nodded. His eyes widened when she leant down and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before turning around walking off. He pulled his gaze from her and noticed that Bucky was still tense and glaring in Scott's direction. Bucky needed to get used to people talking in that manner, otherwise he would not get on well with Stark. "It's fine, Bucky."

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 **Thank you for reading! If you have the time, I'd love a little review (or big review) :D**


	4. Next time we should share a shower

**Author's note:**

 **How long can they keep up the charade of dating? Can he stick with it? Here's a lovely Bucky and Natasha chat!**

 **I would like to personally thank the amazing nine individuals who spent that extra minute to leave me a review over the course of the last three chapters. It means a lot to me, so thank you:** **PrimeReader, tellie32atthe6, Sanctuaria, magatama20, Guest, Livy17, Jbern, keara park and Amy Hamato.**

 **Massive, huge shout out to my beta, ThisVioletOfMine!**

* * *

Natasha stepped out of the shower after a long fifteen minutes- well, that was a long time for _her_ to be in the shower, anyway. After dressing, she momentarily considered what to do with her hair; she was letting it grow out again after cutting it. It was gradually getting darker, which she was used to from when it had been longer. For some reason, when she had her hair cut shorter, it turned brighter in colour. She had two options for her hair: pat it and let it dry naturally to keep it straight or towel dry it and wrap it, which would make cause it to go into messy curls. She couldn't wait for her hair to get longer, as the curls became more natural and needed less maintenance.

In the end she opted to towel dry it but left the towel in the bathroom. As she walked back into the living room, she noticed that Scott and Sam had gone, leaving Steve and Bucky on the couch. They both looked up at her.

"I can leave you two alone, if you wanted." She offered.

"Join us," Bucky said instantly, moving over on the couch to allow her room to sit down. Steve moved over, too.

Natasha was only mildly surprised with Bucky's good manners; it wasn't surprising that he was gentlemanly when he was raised in the same time period as Steve. She smiled as she sat down, making sure to snuggle right up against Steve and resting her hand on his inner thigh. "Where'd tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee go?"

"To get some pizzas for dinner."

"What are you two talking about?" She asked conversationally.

"I was telling him about Tony, Bruce, Clint, Vision, Wanda and Thor," Steve listed with a smile.

"Not Pietro?" Natasha questioned. She couldn't talk about Wanda without mentioning her brother. Even when she talks to Wanda now, there's a mention of him as he was a huge part of her life. It's almost bitter-sweet.

"Who's Pietro?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Wanda's brother," Natasha answered shortly. Steve simply nodded in agreement. "What do you think of Tony, Clint, Vision, Wanda and Thor from what you've heard? I can offer a better insight; I'm pretty sure Steve only sees the good in people." She realised she had left out Bruce, but didn't add him on as that would draw attention to the fact that she had neglected to include him in the first place.

"That's not a bad thing," He defended lightly with a smile.

"They all sound like great people to me," Buck commented.

Natasha smiled slyly. "He's definitely left out a _lot_ of facts, then. Who did you want to start with?"

Steve shook his head and took Natasha's hand, moving it off him. "While you do that, I'm going to have a quick shower before dinner gets here. Come and get me if I'm not out in time?"

Natasha nodded. "I will- next time we should just share a shower; it's usually quicker." She hid her smirk when he looked at her, wide-eyed, and turned to Bucky. "I meant in a conserving water aspect, of course."

"Oh, Of course," Bucky replied with a massive, playful grin.

Steve took a breath before kissing her hand, standing up and walking out of the room without saying anything else.

Natasha laughed and leant back against the couch as she raised her legs to rest them on the coffee table. "Looks like it's just you and me." She looked up and smiled at Bucky; she knew Steve was right behind the bathroom door, listening.

Bucky looked at her for a long moment, wondering if who he'd choose to get the real gossip; he looked slightly sceptical. "Steve's been lying." He stated.

Natasha sighed. Was their cover blown? She closed her eyes for a moment, "Caught that, did you?" She asked with a small laugh, "We may have exaggerated a few things."

"Really? Why?" Bucky asked. It appeared he hadn't realised that she had also been lying.

"Because we're not a traditional couple, even less so from your timeline. We don't set out posh outfits to go on dates, or take strolls around a museum." Natasha answered and turned, bringing one foot onto the couch, to look at him properly. "He wants you to approve, so we added in a few things such as… our first date being in a cafe. I don't even know what would be classed as our first date."

Bucky nodded understandingly, "So what do you _actually_ do together?"

Natasha thought for a moment. "We go on missions, he stitches me up if I get injured- which isn't very often. We meet up randomly, get take-out, go on stakeouts… just normal friend and partner things." She turned again, this time crossing her legs and sitting sideways on the couch. "But it doesn't matter what we do or how we decide to spend our time- it's how we feel. Those moments when it's just him and me, those looks across the room, the stolen kisses when the other isn't expecting it… what we talk about..." She listed, drifting off. She looked at him and took a breath, realising how passionate she had just sounded; that scared her slightly- not that she let it show.

"The way you're talking about him- that's more than enough," Bucky said genuinely. "You two don't need to pretend to be something you're not around me."

Natasha bowed her head slightly. "Thank you."

"Can I ask you a personal favour?" Bucky questioned, seeming hesitant.

Natasha nodded, "You may."

"Can you tell me about… when I shot you?"

"No." Natasha stated simply and when he was about to talk again, she explained why. "That wasn't you; I am not going to burden you with something you had no control over."

Bucky looked down for a second. "It was on the bridge, right? In the shoulder?"

Natasha sighed, pulling her top to the side. "That was just a flesh wound, there's no permanent mark."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't you."

"That doesn't change the fact that I shot my best friend's girlfriend, even if it didn't leave a mark," Bucky told her. "You wanted to kill me for shooting you then and…"

"No, I wanted to kill the _Winter Soldier_ for shooting through me," Natasha clarified as she lifted her top to reveal the scar on her lower stomach. "But, that was _not_ you. You are not responsible for what you did in the past." She pulled her top back down.

Bucky's gaze remained on her abdomen. "I don't remember." He admitted, his forehead creased deeply.

"That's probably because I wasn't your target, just an obstacle in your way," Natasha told him before placing her hand under his chin and lifting his head- it made her uncomfortable that he was staring, especially now that she had covered herself up. It made her uneasy in general when people stared.

"I… I'm sorry," Bucky repeated.

"Steve," She said randomly, deciding to get things back on track. Bucky looked confused as he looked around for his friend. "What was Steve like, back in the day?"

Bucky smiled as he turned to look at her. "Small."

Natasha laughed, "I've seen the reports, little muscle definition, a range of physical conditions such as asthma. But that's not what I meant."

Bucky thought for a moment, looking to the side before he spoke again, "He used to put newspaper in his shoes."

"You are having a hard time with him being… able to take care of himself," Natasha stated.

Bucky didn't reject her notion. "When he became Captain America, he didn't need me anymore. He wasn't that kid who couldn't stand down from a fight…"

"No, now he's a man that can't stand down from a fight. Only now, he has a better chance at winning; I bet he's still the same guy as he was before… just bigger."

"How about we make a deal? I tell you a story from 'back in the day' and you tell me one about your time with him." Bucky negotiated.

Natasha nodded; that was a very effective plan. "You first."

Bucky nodded in agreement as he turned to face her. "We used to go on double dates- because he couldn't get one himself. I remember giving him a bag of sweets the day before, which he saved so he could offer them to his date."

"That sounds like something Steve would do," Natasha commented as she thought of a situation or event that was similar, but she couldn't find one. She then decided to think of a time when Steve was just being good, but even that was difficult. She wanted to avoid talking about Steve in combat and the conversations they had had weren't really an example of Steve today. Would it be so bad if she made something up?

"This is the part where you tell me something about Steve," Bucky prompted, waiting patiently.

"It's hard to put it into words... I want to give you one that shows just Steve, not Cap. But all of those are too…"

"Personal."

"Yes. I doubt you want me to recount our conversation to you," Natasha questioned lightly to which he shook his head. "He carries around a small notepad, where he writes everything people suggest he catches up on over the last seventy years. And he actually researches it, or watches the movie."

"What did you contribute to his list?" Bucky inquired.

"I didn't," Natasha admitted. "If I'm watching something, he'll watch it, too, so I know he's not that interested in ballet."

"Ballet? You like that?"

"Yes, I used to do ballet as a child. I love the discipline in it," Natasha informed him. The intrigued expression showed her that he didn't know about her past. She stopped before even opening her mouth as she heard footsteps- Bucky looked like he heard it, too. When she heard the chattering voices of Sam and Scott back from collecting take-out, she stood up. "I'll go get Steve."

* * *

Steve heard the gentle knock on the door followed by Natasha's voice asking him to let her in, so he complied and unlocked the door for her- not caring that he was only half dressed at the moment. She slipped in and locked the door behind her. "Everything okay?" He asked her. He had stopped listening to their conversation headed in the direction of Bucky shooting Natasha; he didn't want to hear what happened again. They seemed to be fine alone and he _did_ need to shower- otherwise they would know he was listening.

"Yes, Sam and Scott are back with the pizza- thought I'd let you know," Natasha told him, handing him his t-shirt. "How much did you listen to?"

Steve looked at her; it made sense that she knew, "I stopped when you spoke about the shooting." He admitted before slipping the top on. He wanted to ask her what they talked about and how they handled the shooting conversation and if she was okay, but knew she hated questions.

"Are you ready for dinner?" Natasha asked. "Oh, and I'm going to head out afterwards."

"How are you going to get back from here?" Steve asked.

"Clint's waiting at a hotel a mile or so from here, so he'll fly us back to his place; it's Cooper's birthday in a few days, and I promised them I'd spend the week there," Natasha answered.

"I'm sorry to interrupt that," Steve said sincerely. He didn't know he was interrupting her previous plans, or that Clint was nearby; he could have come, too. "Why didn't Clint come here?"

"You didn't invite him," Natasha answered simply with a shrug before turning to the door and unlocking it.

Steve sighed and followed her out. Maybe he could call Clint to come? But Natasha was planning on leaving, and he didn't want to hold them up, seeing as it was Clint's son's birthday soon. He looked up when Natasha took his hand and pulled him down the corridor- apparently he hadn't been walking fast enough.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Natasha had decided to depart, after literally laying her legs across his and whispering embarassing things into his ear. He couldn't say that he wasn't glad that he would no longer have Natasha whispering that she wasn't wearing any underwear to him while he was eating with three other people in the room, but he would miss her. She gave Bucky a warm goodbye, Sam a professional one, and Scott- well, she said 'Bye, Scott'. Steve walked her out and they travelled a few metres down the road before stopping to say a proper goodbye.

"You should think about how far you want this to go and when you want to stage a break-up," Natasha told him.

Steve blinked, confused; he hadn't expected her to say something like that. He had, in fact, forgotten that they had been pretending to date; they hadn't really acted any different. Of course, her sleeping in his bed and the odd implied remark that he understood was definitely new. But she was right about working out what to do; he knew she wouldn't pretend to date him indefinitely. But staging a breakup? "Did you want to do that now?" He asked her.

"No, it wouldn't make sense to just randomly break up- there's no ground-works for it," Natasha answered. "Tell you what, I'll think through things and let you know. Until then, if you call me or anything, I'll pretend we're still dating- unless I'm in the middle of something important."

Steve nodded appreciatively. "Thank you- for everything."

Her eyes flickered to the window. "They're watching."

Steve sighed. He was about to turn and wave them away when her lips pressed against his. They were just as soft and full as he remembered them, but this kiss lasted longer and was definitely deeper than the first kiss they had. When they pulled away, he tried to think of something to say, but couldn't.

"You're welcome," she spoke, continuing their conversation. "Do me a favour and let Bucky out into the world."

"He's a wanted fugitive," Steve reminded; he didn't want Bucky arrested.

Natasha smiled softly. "Most people don't know that he's the Winter Soldier. Just be careful with where you go and what he wears- hide that metal arm."

Steve nodded, silently promising that he'll do as she asked; she knew better than most people what he was going through. "Stay in contact."

She nodded, kissed his cheek slowly before turning and walking off. "Don't sleep with any other women." She teased.

Steve shook his head with a broad grin as he watched her walk off until she was out of sight. He then turned to head back inside, only to notice that all three of the guys really _were_ watching them. What had happened to _privacy_?

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	5. We're engaged

**Author's Note:**

 **Thank you for the amazing response I've received! Time to get a bit dramatic!**

 **A personal thank you to those who reviewed: supesfan18; Amy Hamato; jbern; keara park.**

 **Credit to my beta and co-writer for this chapter: ThisVioletofMine**

* * *

4 weeks later.

 _Tony's POV_

"Tony, honey, your tie is crooked. _Again_." Pepper admonished, fixing his tie for the fifth time that evening. He gave a childish smile and shrugged. "Honestly, they'll be here any minute and you _still_ manage to make a mess!"

"I did _not_ make a mess!" He defended before adding, "this time."

"Sir, Miss Hill has arrived." Jarvis informed from somewhere above their heads. Tony nodded.

"Great. Let her in." Moments later, Maria Hill was standing with them in the lavishly-decorated main room.

"This best be important; I had to reschedule a very important meeting to be here," Maria stated as she walked in, sliding her phone into her back pocket. She walked over to Pepper and greeted her with a hug.

"I promise it is! Thank you so much for coming!" Pepper gushed, hugging her back. Tony stayed back to avoid somehow 'breaking' their conversation. He had a knack for breaking things, even abstract things.

Pepper and Maria sat down on one of the couches after getting a drink and were talking amongst themselves. Tony glanced at them, he hadn't received more than a glance from Maria, maybe she really didn't like him.

"Sir, Mr. Rhodes has arrived." Jarvis announced once more.

"Jarvis, can we just agree that instead of announcing each arrival, you just let them in?" Tony asked tiredly. He did not like repetition.

"Very well, Sir."

Rhodey waltzed in. "I was wondering when your next party would be," Rhodey admitted as he grasped Tony's hand and they gave each other a 'bro-hug'.

"Rhodey, my last party was literally two nights ago." Tony grumped, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Remember? I was celebrating the anniversary of the day I lost my first tooth- reason enough to celebrate extravagantly, in my opinion. You got really wasted, remember?"

"Oh yeah. When I lost my shir- hey, do you know what happened to my shirt?" Rhodey asked quickly.

Tony nodded with a chuckle, not telling his friend what had happened. He was saved by a booming voice.

"Ha-HAH! I have arrived, Man of Iron!" Thor exclaimed, forgetting to use his inside voice in his excitement. Tony facepalmed.

"Thor, you scorched a pattern on my rooftop lawn, didn't you?" Thor didn't answer. Instead he turned to greet Clint and Natasha, who had just entered.

"Greetings, comrades!"

Clint smiled. "Thor, I didn't expect to see you here. How's Asgard?"

"Asgard is good! And how does earth fare?" Thor replied.

"Earth is good- Tony hasn't destroyed us yet."

Natasha approached Tony. "Why do I have a feeling that this isn't a social call? What are you playing at?" She questioned, taking an obvious glance around, "There'd better not be another goat stuck on your chandelier."

Tony looked offended. "That was _one_ time, Natasha!" He cried, crossing his arms. "Besides, that wasn't even _my_ fault!"

"Yeah, it was Santa's!" Pepper supplied, frowning at Tony from her seat on the couch.

"I'm telling you, I don't know where that homeless guy came from! I don't know why he was dressed as Santa, and I don't know why he had a _goat_ in his bag, but it was _his_ fault, not mine!" Tony whined, face a bit red.

Natasha laughed, hugging Pepper and Maria quickly before sitting on the opposite couch. "Whatever you say, Stark." She said coolly.

Clint patted Tony on the back. "Dude, why did you let him in to begin with? It was September." He questioned, taking the seat beside Natasha.

Tony's frown deepened. "I don't know _how_ he got in! I specifically told Jarvis to lock the building down, and yet there he was, sashaying through my front door with a dopey grin, a packaged goat and two bags of wood shavings!"

"And I thought you had the best security in the world," Rhodey teased, coming to stand beside Tony with a beer in his hand. "So, why did you call us all?" Everybody looked at Tony to see why they had been called in.

"Well, we have to wait for everybody else to arrive first." Pepper insisted.

"Why? What have ye to tell us, Woman of Man of Iron?" Thor boomed. She smiled kindly at him.

"It's just something that needs to be a surprise." She said conspiratorially.

Natasha leant closer to Clint and whispered something in his ear which made him chuckle.

Tony instantly whipped to face them. "What? What did she say, Clint?" He sauntered over to them, leaning against the couch, "I thought we got past insulting each other."

"Nope, I just decided to do it behind your back more,"

Clint turned to Natasha, his phone out and showed her something, "He's taking after you."

"Is that a good thing?" She asked, leaning closer to him and looking at the phone. Tony looked at the video of Nathaniel, he couldn't understand how he was like Natasha; he'd never seen Natasha make that much mess eating porridge.

"Who are we waiting for?" Maria asked curiously.

"Only Steve and Bucky, then we can tell you all." Pepper informed. They all took this in for a moment before Vision piped up.

"What about Banner?" The couple shared an awkward look.

"Well, we sent him an invite, but he's still missing, so I doubt he received it…" Tony added needlessly. The mood turned somber before Tony perked up. "But hey, at least we don't have to deal with that awful sexual tension between you two, Natasha." He quipped slyly with a Cheshire grin.

Natasha looked awkward for less than a second before sending Tony a murderous glare.

Tony raised his hands in defeat and subtly leaned as far away from her as humanly possible. "Okay, okay, yeesh. Sensitive much? I'm sure your boyfriend will come home safely." There was still that juvenile smirk in his voice that had Natasha's hackles raised angrily.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend," Natasha stated, her voice was quiet and deadly, but clear enough for everybody in the room to hear it. She then turned to Clint and took his phone.

Tony turned away and noticed Steve and his friend Bucky had arrived, he noticed Bucky looking confused. "Hello, um… We're here..." Bucky called quite hesitantly, Steve following after him and dusting snow from his motorcycle helmet.

"WELCOME, WIN-" Thor was interrupted by Natasha's elbow jabbing his ribs-when did she stand up-and while it did nothing to hurt him, it still gave him pause. At her pointed look, he hurriedly fixed his mistake. "WELCOME, BARN OF BUCKS!"

Steve ran a hand over his face momentarily, "Hello everybody, sorry we're late." He apologised politely as he approached Tony.

"Can I have my phone back?" Clint asked. Natasha sent him a glare and held it away from him as she walked away from him with it. Clint rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Shall I retrieve your cellular device, Mister Barton?" Came Jarvis's voice, accompanied by a machine gun lowering from the ceiling and aiming at Natasha, who only scowled and held the phone closer.

"Jarvis! What did I tell you about threatening super spies? You'll get your programming all jacked up, I guarantee you, buddy." Tony advised. The gun hesitantly returned to its slot in the ceiling.

Natasha smirked, an evil glint in her eye, "Good choice." She approached Bucky and gave him a quick hug, followed by Steve.

Tony quirked an eyebrow, he didn't know that Natasha was so open with Steve or that she knew Bucky. However, he didn't have chance to properly analyse it when everybody simultaneously turning their attention to him and Pepper.

"What's the news then," Maria asked.

Tony straightened up, bringing Pepper to stand at his side and holding her hand in both of his in a rare display of mature affection. "Well, we both have something we've been wanting to tell you guys… It's earth-rattling, and guaranteed to make you lose your minds if you're not properly prepared."

"You didn't create another Ultron did you?" Clint questioned with a scowl.

"What? No! That was _one time_ , Clint!" Tony expressed with an annoyed groan. "Okay, maybe one and a half… But Vision doesn't count, because he's a good guy, so you can go shove it up your-" Pepper slapped a hand over his mouth and glared at him, suddenly the chastising mother.

"Sorry about that, he's just a bit grumpy because I won't let him get drunk for our announcement." This was accompanied by another disapproving look at her boyfriend.

"You're pregnant?" Clint's next guess came.

" _What_? No! Can you just shut up before I-" He suddenly halted-pretending it wasn't because of the look Pepper was giving him-bringing him back to his announcement. "Anyways, we have something very special and very important to tell you. It will forever alter your perception of us and this team as a whole, so prepare yourselves, young ones." He drawled on, purposely leaving them hanging as he stood there silently.

"Get to the point, before this turns into your funeral," Natasha spoke.

"Come on man, don't leave us hanging," Rhodey added.

Tony smiled impishly before schooling his features and taking a deep breath. "Guys… I _am_ Iron Man." He said seriously, a carbon copy of what he had said to the press several years before.

Natasha pulled out her gun, which hadn't been visible, aiming it directly at Tony, "Say it again." She dared him.

Steve quickly caught Bucky's arm, placing a hand on his chest to stop him reacting from the sudden appearance of a gun.

"Man of Iron, we have known this for many a year! Is this what you have called us here for?" Thor demanded, wielding Mjolnir threateningly.

"Alright, alright, holy crap, you guys!" Tony cried, holding his arms out defensively. Jarvis didn't even bother trying to protect him against the onslaught of threats.

"Guys, let's all calm down," Pepper said and not-so-surprisingly everybody listened, putting their guns away and silencing. "Tony and I are engaged." She announced, sliding the ring out of her pocket and onto her finger, holding it up.

Maria squealed and Natasha gasped as they both congregated towards her. "Finally!" was the tune the girls began to say as they marveled at the ring.

"Congratulations," Steve said with a smile to Tony, a genuine smile on his face.

"Is this real? _You're_ getting married?" Rhodey questioned, not believing him.

Tony scowled at him, still harried from the fear of getting beaten up. "Yes, I am, _James_. Are you jealous?"

Bucky looked up at the name James, but didn't say anything, obviously realising it wasn't him being spoken to. Before Rhodey could reply, a large hand clapped on Tony's shoulder.

"Congratulations, Man of Iron! This is a glorious occasion which we must celebrate posthaste!" Thor yelled, making Tony look slightly frightened.

"Thanks Thor… Can you let go? I can hear my shoulder breaking." Thor only gave a deep belly laugh and pat him on the back, not holding back on his strength in the slightest.

"Sir, will you be requiring another chiropractic appointment?" Jarvis asked pleasantly.

"Uh.. yeah, Jarvis."

"Congratulations, Tony Stark," Bucky said, hovering behind Steve.

"Thanks, Bucky." He replied, offering a wince-smile. Behind them, Pepper was being showered with questions about the wedding and their plans for the future.

Tony turned to watch the girls, it was sweet how happy Pepper looked right now, but he wasn't about to say that."Man, they're a bit overly excited, aren't they?" He asked rhetorically.

Bucky piped up suddenly, surprising both Steve and Tony.

"Hey Steve, when are you going to propose to Natasha?" His tone was half-joking, half-genuine-curiosity. Steve turned in an attempt to stop him, but wasn't quick enough as he stared, wide-eyed, at his friend.

" _What_?" Tony cried, almost choking on his own spit.

"Why would he…?" Pepper asked, her attention completely away from her ring. She glanced at Natasha questioned.

"He's joking," Natasha offered with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Gosh, I know you guys weren't planning on marriage for a while, but you're kind of overreacting-"

"Bucky, please stop talking," Steve asked kindly.

"Why? Do they not know that you two are-" Bucky started but was stopped by Steve gently placing a hand over his mouth.

"Hold up, I want to hear what he says," Maria spoke up, looking between Steve and Natasha.

Bucky broke free of Steve's hand, and, just to spite him for being so rude, said, "They're dating."

"When did that happen?" Rhodey asked.

"Well-" Bucky started, but stopped when Natasha began to speak.

"Not that long, but it is nobody's business and we would rather not announce it to _anybody_ ," Natasha spoke, sending a glare at Steve, as if it was him who just told the whole room. "It is not a big deal."

Tony's arm slowly raised up. "Um… it is to me."

"Uh, yeah, me too!"

"And I as well!"

"Why'd you keep it from me, Tasha?"

"Yeah, we wanna know all the details!"

"I knew," Clint gloated, earning a glare from Natasha as she elbowed him.

"I think we should all remember why we came here, and that was to celebrate the engagement of Tony and Pepper," Steve inputted, indicating for everybody to turn their attention to Tony and Pepper.

It was a feeble argument, and they all knew it, pouncing on the two like hungry wolves.

"Screw our engagement!" Tony cried, immediately taking it back upon Pepper's death glare. "Well, don't screw it, but forget about it momentarily and let's all focus solely on their relationship!" He corrected himself, barely missing getting beaten up again. "Ahem, um.. is this the real deal, or are you just friends with benefits?" Thankfully everyone seemed to gloss over his slip up and focused on the answer they expected Steve and Natasha to provide.

"Well…" Steve began, looking down awkwardly.

"Actually, we broke up," Natasha informed them in a calm and emotionless tone of voice. "I would rather if I didn't have to go through that again by discussing it. Excuse me." She said before turning and walking straight from the room.

Steve stared at the floor shocked before clearing his throat, "Excuse me." He muttered before quickly following her out of the room.

"Um… what the hell was that?" Tony asked. None of this was making any sense, he watched Steve's form exiting the room, there was no chance he was with Natasha.

Bucky shook his head and clenched his fists, a determined look now on his face. "I don't know, but those two are perfect for each other, and I'm going to find out what happened between them and fix it!" He declared, running after the pair.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Do you all like their reactions? :)**


	6. Why did you break up?

**Author's note:**

 **Woah, I had the best response to my last chapter! Thank you to those amazing reviewers: sportsfan64; Kiera Park; Sanctuaria; hanzz; Amy Hamato and; jbern.**

 **I know there was one or two inconsistencies in the last chapter, my apologies.**

 **Just a little clarification; this story does not take into account what will or may happen in Civil War. So, Tony and Steve are still friends, Bucky is not currently wanted (I mean, everybody thinks he's dead). So, right now, he's basically just a friend of Steve's... who everybody thought was dead and is rumoured to be the Winter Soldier.**

 **Anyway, enough blabbering from me, here we go!**

* * *

Steve caught up to Natasha down the hallway and pulled her aside. "What was _that_?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"Did you want me to stand there and _lie_ to all of them?" Natasha questioned, her voice just as low.

"Why did you say we broke up?" Steve asked; he didn't like being unprepared and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do right now. "Couldn't you think of something else?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes at him, "Did you want me to tell them the _truth_?" She asked him, her eyes flickering over his shoulder. She nudged him.

Steve turned to see Bucky had followed them, but thankfully, he was too far to hear what they had been saying. "Buck, could you give us a minute?"

"No! You two need a serious talking-to!" Bucky cried indignantly, coming to stand between them and panting heavily.

Steve and Natasha stepped apart as he placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "This is a matter between Natasha and I."

"Yeah, and look where _that_ got you guys. Why did you break up?" He folded his arms across his chest and they could tell he wasn't going anywhere.

Natasha sighed, "I ch-"

"No… you- don't say anything," Steve stumbled out quickly. He wasn't sure what she had been about to say, but knew he wouldn't have liked it. "Bucky, please…" He nearly begged; he needed to keep his friendship with Bucky intact but also didn't want to jeopardise his friendship with Natasha. Which pretending to break up actually could. He did realise how Bucky seemed completely like his old self, before the war- he definitely did not want to use that.

"No. You both need to talk this out, and since you clearly can't and won't do so on your own, I'll mediate. Now: _why did you break up_?"

"We broke up because he deserves somebody better than me; somebody who can give him what he wants- what he _deserves_ ," Natasha paused. "Somebody who can actually have a normal relationship with him: go on dates, give him the life he deserves, with a good, normal wife, a family; I can't give that to him, Bucky. We're just not a good match."

Steve stared, open-mouthed, at her.

Bucky recovered before him, face in a half-pout. "Not a good match? Puh-lease. Natasha, you two go so well together _because_ you're not normal. Steve's not normal, therefore he needs someone equally strange to get by. It's just how the world works."

Steve made an offended face. He knew he should say something, but wasn't sure what, and when he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by Natasha.

"I can't give him what he deserves. I am damaged goods. I can't give him a family, I can't have children and I _know_ that he wants them. I will not hold him back," She almost shouted.

Bucky's eyebrow raised in a look of sympathy.

"I might not know much about this time period, but isn't there a thing called 'adoption'? Natasha, he's damaged goods, too. And if he's a truly good man," a pointed look at Steve, "then your ability to have children shouldn't affect how much he loves you."

Natasha let out a frustrated groan, "I don't want children _at all_. I am not…"

"Tasha, stop," Steve said softly; he was only slightly surprised that she stopped instantly. "I'm sorry."

"Steve…"

"No, I _am_ sorry. I shouldn't have pulled you into this; it wasn't right. I'll tell him…" Steve began; he did not want to put Natasha in this situation. After hearing her talk about herself in this manner, he couldn't take it. He'd rather have Bucky angry at him than listen to her talking like this.

"Hold on… Are you telling me that you forced her into a relationship? Steve, goddamnit, that's _rape_!" Suddenly Bucky was angry at him, and not in the way he had expected or wanted. He didn't even know how to react for a moment.

Natasha glared at Bucky. "Firstly, he has not raped me- we haven't even slept together, and secondly, if you think that Steve is capable of something like that, then you don't know him as well as I thought you did."

"What? I took your side without questioning it, and you hate me now? Also, abuse victims always downplay the actual abuse! I come from the forties, remember? I know the signs when I see them, and what he just said and how you reacted are both quite suspicious."

Steve stepped forward slightly; he didn't need them to fight. "How about we take a step back and just breathe?"

Natasha simply pushed Steve to the side and stepped forward. "I am _not_ a victim. Steve has _never_ hurt me or touched me without permission. I can defend myself." She paused, "This whole conversation, Steve was trying to protect me and my reputation. But in all honesty, I wasn't completely in the relationship. Whilst we were dating, I flirted and kissed other men, including Clint- Isn't that right, Clint?"

Clint poked his head out from the door, where he had obviously been listening- probably with the other Avengers right behind him, hiding. "Come again?"

"In fact, when I got the call from Stark to come here, I was at Clint's- and I have to admit, I wasn't completely dressed." She stared Bucky straight in the eyes, not standing down.

Bucky blinked owlishly at her. Then he let out a sigh and turned to Steve.

"I'm sorry, Steve. I shouldn't have made such horrible accusations. It's just that it was really common for men to hit their women, especially during our army days. Remember Jason?" Steve nodded. "He beat his Clarissa nearly half to death a year after we saw him last. Good man, helluva temper. I guess it's just hard to not jump to conclusions after something like that." He placed a hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve gave a tight smile, "It's okay, Buck. I understand." He paused and looked at Natasha, hating how she was now painted in a bad light, especially as their closest friends were probably all listening. Clint had disappeared now, but he had poked his head out when his name was mentioned. "Can I have a moment with Natasha _now_?" he asked.

Natasha took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down slightly.

Bucky didn't seem to like this, but eventually he nodded slowly and left, shooing the snooping Avengers as he passed them.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked in hushed tones once again.

"Saving your neck! That was the only way to get him off your back without many questions," Natasha answered.

Steve noticed how close they had gotten in an attempt to keep the conversation private. "So you label yourself as a cheater? Was any of that even real? How will more lies help us in the future?"

"It wasn't all lies; we told him we had been dating for over a year, and within the last year I had kissed Bruce; remember?" Natasha reminded him. "And I _was_ at Clint's when we got the call…"

"Kissing him?"

"No! He's _married_ ," Natasha waved off his accusation. "If Bucky asks you any question you don't know the answer to, cry or tell him it's too emotional for you to talk about."

"I don't want this. I would rather he knew I lied than see you in a bad light. You are a great person, Natasha. One of the best people I know," Steve told her intently.

She simply shook her head. "Steve…"

"No, you don't deserve this," He sighed. What mess had he made. He shouldn't have played around like this. "I want you to be happy."

"Then you'll leave this alone. I don't want your reputation to be tainted," Natasha replied sincerely. "And just being involved with me _will_ taint it. This is a good way out- it portrays you as the victim and it will be swept under the rug quickly."

"What if I _want_ it tainted?"

"What?"

Steve took a breath; time to be courageous. "What if I _want_ my reputation tainted? What if I wanted to date you?"

"You are definitely on the wrong bus-"

Steve gently placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her into a kiss; this was the first kiss he had initiated- ever. It was nice, her lips soft as they were pressed against his. He was relieved that she kissed back, her hands gripping his top; that took his worries away from Bucky's words about abusing women.

"Hey, have you guys res- oh. _Oh_ … Um, I can come back later…" Maria said awkwardly, obviously a little drunk. Still, the alcohol didn't take the edge off of her alert glare as she scanned them up and down a bit suspiciously, an amused smirk on her face.

Natasha had jumped away from him like she had been burned when Maria appeared. "No need, Maria. I was just leaving."

"Nat…"

"No, this was a mistake," Natasha said firmly, walking past Maria and back to the crowd.

Steve sighed, running a hand over his face and looking at Maria. "What did you want?"

Maria smiled and hiccuped a little. "Oh, nothing, just checking on our mentally unstable power couple. Other than the fiancees out there, that is." She added with a roll of her eyes. "I think Tony got into the beer again, because he's been going on and on about the goat man for _years_."

Steve sighed and walked back to the others, and when he looked around he noticed that Natasha had gone over to Pepper, hugging her. As she pulled away, she grabbed Clint's arm, passed Tony- muttering something to him before dragging Clint out of the room with her. It took him a split second before he realised that she was leaving the party. Before he could even think about it, he started to follow, but was stopped by Tony.

"Let her go, Steve," Tony said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Steve looked at him pointedly. "I just want to talk to her…" He drifted off.

Tony nodded sympathetically. "I know the feeling. But sometimes you need to know when to give her some space." He gave Steve's shoulder a reassuring pat before taking a large gulp of beer.

"This is different, Tony- you don't understand," Steve said. Nobody would understand what was going on in his mind right now.

The man just chuckled. "Steve, seriously, any kind of relationship you're in, I can guarantee you that I've been in it." He leaned forward and stage whispered, "I dated around quite a bit back in the day." Then he leaned back.

"I know…"

He returned to speaking normally, continuing as if Steve hadn't said anything. "I used to date hundreds of girls. Me, getting _married_? It means I've learned how to do it correctly for once, Steve. Let me share my wisdom with you."

"I don't know if you can help me with this; Natasha's not like any other women," Steve replied, knowing that Tony was going to carry on talking anyway.

He wasn't disappointed. "Trust me, dude, Pepper is Natasha without super-spy skills. They're both too uptight and serious to be healthy, yet they have the same dangerous sass levels. It's almost creepy, in all honesty."

"But… Pepper actually wants to be in a relationship with you, and Natasha…" He drifted off suddenly; did he just give away the fact that Natasha had no intention of dating him? Would Tony work out that it was a ruse? Maybe he should have just left when Natasha did; this was way too complicated for him to process.

"Why? Did you call her fat or something? Cheat on her?" Tony asked, catching the helplessness in his tone.

"What? No," Steve said, confused. "She's just… I like her and I'm pretty sure she doesn't feel the same way about me."

Tony gave a reminiscent smile. "Ah, the crush phase. I'm so glad I'm past that." At Steve's glare, he chuckled again and pat him on the back. "Steve, sometimes you gotta take control of the situation. Don't sit there assuming, actually ask her how she feels! You'll never know otherwise! Ask her specifically if she does not, in fact, like you romantically. Although I doubt she doesn't, because she wouldn't have dated you at all in the first place if she hadn't felt at least a _little_ something for you."

Steve closed his eyes regretfully before pulling Tony to the side. "We didn't date- we just told Bucky we were because… It was a stupid idea."

"I know." Tony said, smile not faltering. "You're forgetting that I'm a child prodigy, Steve, and an expert on dating. I think I can tell when someone is getting some, which you are not; if you were really dating her, well... But my advice is still the same: ask her. She wouldn't pretend to date you if she didn't feel a little something special for you."

Steve sighed. "I guess, but I don't want to make things weird between us. At least, any _weirder_ \- I've already hurt her enough. Do you think I should just back off?" He asked, unsure.

"Nah, dude! The feelings are clearly there, so go for it!" Tony exclaimed. "Who cares about weird? We're Avengers, for God's sake! We face weird every other week!"

Steve nodded. "So I should go after her now and ask her, then?"

"I would wait at least until tomorrow. Emotions are strained, everyone's tired, it's late at night, we've all mostly had something to drink… Let her have time to think and collect herself, and you take advantage of having time to think over what you're going to say. Otherwise you'll end up with two arrows and a taser in your face."

Steve nodded seriously; he wanted things to go right. He looked at Tony, wondering if he could trust him to help with a speech. He glanced at Pepper; maybe she was the best to ask? But Tony had successfully gotten engaged. He looked back at Tony, "Any suggestions?" He asked; he'd never been good at talking to women.

Tony thought for a few moments before answering, "Just tell her you're rich and would rock her world."

"I don't think that would work, Tony," Steve admitted with a sigh. "Any other ideas?"

"Oh… You know what I did to swoon Pepper? I went on Google and searched for, 'awesome pickup lines', then looked at memes and sent them to her phone 24/7. Eventually she gave in."

"Pepper couldn't kill you in fifty different ways," he pointed out. "But thanks, Tony, you've been a lot of help."

As he walked away, Steve heard Tony muttering, "Yeah, Pepper could only kill me in twenty-seven different ways… but they'd be the most creative twenty-seven ways you've ever seen…"

He shuddered as he walked over to Bucky to check on him; right now he just wanted to head out. Thankfully, Bucky wanted to leave, too; this much social interaction and the fact that he was concerned over Steve's rather sudden 'breakup' made him much more agreeable, and they left.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I've just noticed, I've managed to keep all the chapters around 2.5 thousand words (not including the first chapter). Anyway, I'd love a review! The next chapter is looking really fun already! :D**


	7. Will you go out with me?

**Author's note:**

 **Woah, ten reviews! I am still stunned by that! Thank you so much, it's incredible! I got carried away with this chapter, because of how happy I was, so it turned out a thousand words longer than the others! Big thanks to ThisVioletofMine, who helped me write some of it! She's incredible!**

 **Shout-out to those amazing reviewers: SP12122015; Sportsfan64; Amy Hamato; Sanctuaria; keara park; Phoenix 1966; Acillia; supesfan18; Baibe.**

 **I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!**

* * *

Steve was walking through the Avengers compound where he had the responsibility to train the newer Avengers. He primarily worked alongside Natasha to train them, but hadn't been able to get in touch with her since they 'broke up'. He knew it was a sign that she didn't want to talk to him about what had happened, but they did need to work out a training schedule. Since he had gotten Bucky back, he had spent a lot of time with him instead; although, he had still been with Falcon, too.

He looked around as he walked the halls, feeling bad about not being there with Scarlet Witch, Vision and Rhodey as much as he should have been. He was supposed to be their captain.

"Hey, Captain," Sam greeted him. It sounded strange being called 'captain' by him; he'd become accustomed to being called Steve.

"Hey, Sam; I didn't expect you to be here," Steve commented. During the massive amount of time he spent with him, he hadn't once mentioned training here.

Sam laughed slightly. "I thought you knew? Natasha makes me come in if I'm not with you. She called me back here the morning after the party at Stark's."

"She's here?" Steve asked; he hadn't thought to check here. He didn't know that Natasha had been so invested in the new Avengers- now he _really_ felt like a slacker.

"Yes. I can't stop and chat- I need to do a four mile run before lunch."

"Do you know where she is?" Steve inquired, hoping it sounded casual.

Sam smiled softly. "I heard about the breakup. I'm sorry, Steve. She's training with Wanda in Gym C."

"Thanks, Sam." Steve instantly made his way in that direction, glancing outside and noticing Rhodey running around the compound; Natasha really did have things under control here. Upon making his way to Gym C, he paused before silently slipping in and watching.

Natasha and Wanda were sparring, with the former dodging all of the hits easily. Steve caught Natasha's eyes and she immediately backed down. "Great work, Wanda. You're improving everyday."

"Thanks, Natasha," Wanda replied, relaxing instantly, her defensive pose completely gone.

"Stay alert- you're still on the mat," Natasha spoke, tapping her on the back of her shoulder.

"Noted, thank you. I'll see you later?"

"Of course. Don't be late; I want to try a few new things today," Natasha replied, walking over to her bag and taking a swig of water.

Wanda smiled in response before turning, smile widening instantly upon seeing Steve. "Hey, you're back!" He saw the sweat glistening on her body and wondered how long she had been sparring.

"I am," Steve confirmed. "I am very interested to see how far you've come. But for now, could I have a moment with Natasha?"

Wanda nodded. "It's great to have you back," She said before exiting the room.

Steve approached Natasha, noticing that, unlike Wanda, she was not sweaty and did not appear to have been sparring for a long period of time. "I didn't expect to find you here."

"In the gym?" Natasha questioned coolly.

"No."

"You were busy with Bucky; it only makes sense that I am here. We did originally agree that one of us should be here at all times to assist with the training," Natasha reminded him.

Steve nodded in appreciation. "Thank you."

"Did you want to spar?" Natasha asked, not commenting on his thank you.

He nodded after a second and shrugged off his jacket, laying it neatly on a bench before walking onto the mat. "Can we talk?"

"About the progress of the new Avengers?" Natasha asked.

Steve wondered if she was deliberately avoiding talking to him on a personal level, or if she actually thought they needed to discuss the progress. "Yes, but I also wish to discuss _us_."

"I am in perfect shape; I've been keeping up with my training. Although I haven't had a good spar session in a while," Natasha offered, tilting her head to the side, her eyes trained on him as she stepped back onto the mat.

"I have been lacking in my training, lately. But I've always kept in shape, so I can easily jump back into it," Steve replied before taking on a fighting pose when she did.

Natasha attacked first, easily passing him and getting in a few light hits. "You're a bit slow. You're relying too much on your super-soldier-serum."

Steve was usually one to defend, not attack, but this was a spar session, so he lunged forward, causing Natasha to duck under his arm and twist away from his legs. "I kissed you," He commented, dodging Natasha's counterattack.

"You did."

"I liked it," He said as she twisted his arm behind his back. He twisted quickly, twirling his arm out of that position and kicking her backwards.

"I haven't had any complaints on my kissing yet," She replied, knocking him back a few steps with a double-legged kick to the chest. She didn't even drop to the ground before spinning and taking his legs from beneath him.

Steve felt the breath leave him, but made no attempt to look up. "Nat, will you go out with me?"

Natasha stared at him, standing above him. "I don't have time for that."

" _A_ date? One date?" Steve compromised, not moving from his position. He knew Natasha had the moral code to not attack him while he was on the floor and not making any sudden movements. She was quick enough to anticipate any movements anyway.

"My schedule's full," Her answer came, clipped.

Steve moved forward and she stepped backwards, obviously waiting for him to continue the spar session. "Tonight, 8 pm, the restaurant a couple of miles down the road- Star Italiano. I'll be there, waiting."

"I'm busy, Steve," Natasha repeated.

He stood up, raising his arms and looking her directly in the eyes. "I'll wait there for you all night." He paused before slowly continuing the spar session, which got heated very quickly. Both of them were silent as they concentrated on their fight, neither wanting to be taken down.

* * *

Steve stared at the door of the restaurant; he didn't believe that Natasha would be the sort to be late. He supposed that she wasn't coming. He had taken a chance and failed miserably.

Suddenly, just as all hope seemed to be lost, she appeared, slipping into the chair opposite him. Her hair was shining and she was wearing a pretty black dress. "I'm not here because I want to date you; I just didn't want you sitting here alone all night." She informed him, picking up the menu.

Steve smiled. It didn't matter what she said, because she had still turned up. "Thank you for showing up."

Natasha smiled in response. "You're welcome," She said, acknowledging his words.

And now, Steve was floundering. What exactly should he say? Would she start a conversation, or would he have to come up with something that didn't sound creepy? What was he supposed to say? "You look quite lovely this evening, Natasha." He complimented, nodding towards her outfit.

Natasha smiled in appreciation. "And you look very smashing. Nice shirt- I didn't know you _owned_ one." She teased.

"Was I supposed to show up as Captain America?" He questioned lightly, quirking an eyebrow at her. He never had gone on a date as Steve Rogers; it was only after his 'rise to stardom' that he began turning heads. "Was that what you wanted?" He asked, mildly nervous.

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. "Not unless this was supposed to be a date with Captain America. I think you're good; no need to be nervous, it's just me."

Steve exhaled in relief before returning to the dilemma at hand: what to order? He noticed a waiter looking at them- probably wasn't long now. "So… Have you decided what you're having?" He asked slightly awkwardly, trying to sound casual and failing. Why were his nerves strung tighter than a coiled spring? It was as she had said- just Natasha, not the entire United States! Why was he so nervous?

Natasha's eyes glazed over the menu slowly. "Any recommendations?" She asked him, a hint of a smirk touching her lips.

"Well, the spaghetti is pretty good. Nice and plain and simple- not that _you're_ simple, I mean-" He looked over the menu; did they even _serve_ plain spaghetti? He really needed to learn how to flirt.

Natasha held back an obvious laugh as the waiter approached. "Are you ready to order, Sir? Madam?"

"I'll have the Spaghetti Carborona, please," Natasha spoke, handing the menu to the waiter before looking at Steve.

"Oh- I'll have the same, please." He added politely, ignoring the knowing look the waiter sent his way.

"Can we also have some water?" Natasha requested. The waiter nodded, taking Steve's menu, too, before walking off. "Is this your first date since 1945?"

He spluttered incredulously. "N-no!" Okay, that was technically a lie. "...That bad?" Maybe he should have gotten dating advice from Bucky, or Tony, or… well, anybody.

Natasha smirked in reply, not answering his question. "What was a date like back then?" She asked curiously.

Taken off guard by the random question, Steve took a moment to really think about his response. "Well, quite similar, actually. More dancing, though, and much more liveliness. Lots of parties and music and food… It was a lot of fun."

"Did you go on many dates as Steve Rogers?"

"Not really… Before Captain America, I was a beanpole and apparently not worth anyone's time. After Captain America, though… Well, for awhile I was dating a different girl everyday. It was… it was really something."

Natasha nodded, her usual closed off expression more open, showing a little sympathy. "I would have danced with you before you became Captain America."

Steve tried to avoid blushing but his face betrayed him oh-so-slightly. He was genuinely touched and that too showed on his face. "Thank you, Natasha. You don't know how much that means to me."

She smiled at him, nodding her head slightly. "I'll bet you danced with many women afterwards, though."

He nodded, though a sudden thought occurred to him. "Oh my gosh, I forgot my manners! I shouldn't be discussing past dates with my present one! You must be jealous now." The last part was intended as a joke to soften the mood to something amicable.

Natasha laughed. "You think I'll get jealous over women who are probably already dead? I'm not crazy."

And suddenly Steve's thoughts were a bit darker as he thought over the fact that most of the women he had previously dated were probably, in fact, dead now. Then he shook it off and smiled. "Yeah, I suppose not." He answered noncommittally.

"I'm sorry," Natasha spoke, obviously catching his change in emotion. She placed her hand over his.

He nodded in response, carefully putting his other hand on hers, creating a small sandwich of hands. "It's not your fault; we all say stuff we don't mean to…"

"How are you coping with… being in this time period?" Natasha asked him.

He smirked a little, tension partially leaving his shoulders. "Well, it was really hard at first; everything I knew had either been updated or forgotten. But, after awhile, well, you get used to it."

Natasha pulled her hand back from his, moving it to the safety of her lap. "Being able to adapt is a very useful skill. It could save your life." She paused, "It's essential as a spy."

"Oh, is it _really_?" Steve asked with a lighthearted smile, finally beginning to actually enjoy their date.

"Oh yes, it is," Natasha replied with a flirtatious tone in her voice.

He laughed at the thickness of her flirty tone. "So you're saying you could adapt in my situation better than me? Is that it?" He asked teasingly, adding some flirtation to his own voice.

"Definitely- I could adapt to any situation in a heartbeat," Natasha confirmed, smirking slightly, but it was definitely playful.

Steve's smile remained genuine, but there was now a sad, knowing look to it. "Sure. You can adapt to any situation instantly… except for when it comes to having a relationship with me."

Natasha frowned, leaning back and folding her hands on her lap. "If I remember correctly, I adapted nicely into a relationship with you; fooled everybody." She pointed out.

Steve shook his head, sad smile still in place. "No, you didn't. Not when it mattered; not when the relationship suddenly had a chance at becoming something real. When that happened, you fled."

"Can't we just enjoy this date?" Natasha asked, though it was more of a snap. The food came, being placed in front of them, garlic bread being put in the middle. "Thank you."

Steve smiled accommodatingly, but didn't quite back down. "I _am_ enjoying this date; we're discussing future dates to come." He gave her a cheeky look.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't we finish this one first?" She picked up her fork and twirled it in her meal. "Who says you'll get a second one?" She questioned casually before lifting her folk and effortlessly eating her first bite without making any mess.

"Well, I guess that depends on how this conversation goes." Steve replied, not making a mess as well but having to try a bit harder than she.

Natasha took a sip of water, and as she placed the glass down, she looked at him. "Did you want me to choose the topic of discussion?"

"No no, I think I've got one in mind." He answered cryptically, wiping sauce from his lip.

"Are you wanting me to guess?" She teased before continuing to eat.

"Well _you're_ the super-adaptable spy here- you tell me." He slurped up a noodle, splattering sauce on the tip of his nose, and he laughed.

Natasha's lips turned upwards in a half smile, half smirk. She lifted her napkin and leant forward slowly, wiping his nose, the seductive look evident on her face for everybody to see. "Is it about your intact virginity?" She whispered, the evil glint twinkling in her eyes.

Although he did valiantly in keeping his expression collected, he couldn't help the sudden blush lighting up his cheeks. "Um… N-no, I mean…" He stopped; that wasn't something he was comfortable talking about. As he went to reply, he noticed that her cleavage was in his direct line of sight from the angle she was bent over at. "That was not what I had in mind."

"I know," She said, leaning back and continuing to eat. He looked at her inquisitively. She was very good at sabotaging any conversation out of her comfort zone. Although, he realized, it was unfair for him to pressure her to talk about what she didn't want to. "Now this is beginning to feel like a usual date for me."

"What's a usual date?"

"Being stared at," Natasha answered, taking another sip of water.

Steve's head snapped up completely, not even slightly in the direction of her chest anymore. "Sorry, I didn't mean- Let's just talk about something pleasant." He decided.

Natasha nodded, "It's fine." She paused, "Wanda has really improved; the one-on-one sessions I've given her have been beneficial. Not only has she been able to harness and increase her powers, but her hand-to-hand combat has definitely improved the most."

"That's great!" He smiled happily. This was a subject they were both comfortable with- it was effortless. "How about Sam? He said you've made him step up his training a bit."

Natasha patted the napkin against her lips. "Yes, he's been out of the army for a while now, and has been slacking. He made the team because he helped when S.H.I.E.L.D fell and because he's friends with you." She stated. "There are three types of training for him: air, hand-to-hand, and endurance."

Steve nodded, "How is he doing?"

"He's behind on endurance- I could run laps on him. He's best in the air, but as soon as his wings are gone… You should set some time with him for hand-to-hand combat."

Steve winced sympathetically. "Yeah, we'll be sure to work on that." He snorted. "You should _see_ how Scott does hand-to-hand combat. Normal-sized, he sucks. Miniature-sized, he sucks less, but relies mostly on his strength and the fact that most people can't see him. He always loses against Sam."

"I would do anything to get five minutes in the ring with him, full-sized," Natasha muttered darkly.

"Now now, Natasha- play nice." He scolded with a chuckle. "He would probably wet himself within the first thirty seconds, anyways."

"I'll accept thirty seconds." Natasha placed her fork onto her empty plate. "Rhodey needs the most work- when he's not in his suit, that is. And Vision… is like Thor and Hulk; doesn't need any training."

"Hey, we _all_ needed training at first; in different areas, sure, but we all at least needed to train on how to work together as a team. Remember the constant fights between Thor and Hulk?"

"It is hard to train as a team when our _Captain_ is catching up with his buddy," Natasha pointed out, slightly bitter. She obviously did not like being told what to do. "Rhodey and Sam train together in the air, along with Vision. They all do hand-to-hand combat. Wanda is the only one who does not participate in those circumstances. But they all do group 'activities' and there is a high level of trust between the four of them and a respect for me." She paused, "Any more suggestions, Cap?"

"Uh- no. How's the search for Banner going?" He twirled his fork in the last few strands of spaghetti.

"I'm not part of the search party. You'll have to ask Stark."

"You might not be a part of the search party, but you're always in the loop- it's kinda freaky, actually." At her slight glare, he continued, "But, seriously, how could _you_ not know? You seem to know everything that's going on."

"Because I don't care where he is." Natasha shot back before standing up. "Thank you for the date- I had a spectacular time."

"Wait! Don't go." Steve called gently, standing up and catching her a few feet away from their table. His fingers touched her arm and she turned around, thankfully, without raising her arms. "Can we finish the meal?"

"I've finished the food," Natasha pointed out.

"Just…" He paused, "Wait here, one moment." He quickly placed down more than enough money for the bill before walking back over to her. "Let's talk outside, please."

Natasha offered him one swift nod before turning and strutting out of the restaurant, many pairs of eyes following her. Steve followed, feeling uncomfortable with all of the lingering eyes on her body. As they got outside, she turned to him, indicating for him to talk.

"I'm sorry this date wasn't… good," Steve apologised.

"Steve," Natasha sighed, taking a second before continuing. "The date was fine; very pleasant. I'm just not currently interested in pursuing a relationship."

"With me?"

"With anybody," She clarified. "I am not relationship material- that's not the way I was trained- the way I was raised. I haven't spent countless of hours gossiping with women over guys, or gotten giddy over a date." She paused, "Although, this is probably my first actual date; if you don't include those for missions or when it was just with a friend- meaning Clint."

"This was your first date?" Steve asked, surprised. He'd presumed Natasha had had hundreds of dates- with her looks and intelligence, she could have just about anybody.

She nodded her head. "Not that this _was_ a date." She corrected weakly, although that didn't take away from the fact she had just called it a date mere seconds ago.

"How do you know you're not relationship material if you've never been in one?" Steve questioned- then realized that he could ask himself the same question.

"I've been in _relationships_ ; they just didn't involve going on official _dates_."

Steve raised an eyebrow in mild disbelief. "I wouldn't classify what you and Banner had as a 'relationship'."

Natasha rolled her eyes. " _That_ wasn't. I had a rather serious relationship with a man named Alexi." Steve looked confused for a moment. "He's dead. It was before I joined S.H.I.E.L.D."

He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that- she had classified it as a _serious relationship_. He offered her a smile. "We can keep it casual… that's a thing these days, right? Casual dating."

"Casual dating," Natasha repeated with a smirk playing on her lips. "What, exactly, would _that_ entail?"

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but wasn't entirely sure of the difference between dating and casual dating. "It would entail… hanging out, but without any pressure?"

Natasha appraised him for a few long moments, making his palms sweat. "So, like being friends, but with me teasing you more and the possibility of us sharing a kiss?"

"Yes."

"...Fine. But we're not telling anybody," Natasha finally agreed.

Steve grinned. He couldn't help it, he was just so happy- he had finally done something right! "I'd say this was a successful date."

"You and I have different opinions on what a 'successful date' is," Natasha commented. "But, it definitely wasn't a _bad_ experience."

"I'll see you back at Avengers Compound?" Steve asked with a smile.

"Sure," Natasha replied. "Oh, and Steve- one thing you should know: the definition of a 'casual relationship' is when two people have a sexual relationship that does not usually involve a romantic relationship."

Steve felt his face pale as he stared at her in horror- that was _not_ what he had wanted to ask of her! "I…"

"How about we stick to just friends? Feel free to come to me with any more suggestions- just make sure you've researched them first." Natasha told him before turning around and walking off.

Steve's expression turned to one of shock, above anything else; she had just wiggled her way out of a relationship with him, _again_. Although, he decidedly did _not_ want a casual relationship with her; he respected women too much to do that. He sighed after a while before heading off to get his motorbike.

 **Let me know who you like seeing, and whose POV you prefer! Thank you for reading!**

 **Next chapter may take a little longer to post, so expect it on the weekend! :D**


	8. Am I seeing things?

**Author's Note:**

 **ThisVioletofMine: co-writer.**

 **I received an amazing six reviews I got! Sportsfan64; Keara Park; Baibe; Amy Hamato; Sanctuaria; supesfan18.**

 **Special thanks to supesfan18 and superfan64; they really helped with the plan for this story! :D**

* * *

"I'll see you back at Avengers Compound?" Steve asked her with a smile.

"Sure," Natasha replied, offering him a smile of her own. She was about to leave, but then decided it was probably the best idea to inform him exactly what he had asked of her; he would be very embarrassed if somebody else pointed it out to him. "Oh, and Steve- one thing you should know: the definition of a 'casual relationship' is when two people have a sexual relationship that does not usually involve a romantic relationship."

Natasha watched Steve's face pale dramatically as he stared at her, wide-eyed, in horror. He obviously was not aware of the actual definition, like she had thought, and it was very, very obvious he did not want that sort of relationship.

"I…" Steve began, probably about to apologise.

"How about we stick to just friends? Feel free to come to me with any more suggestions- just make sure you've researched them first." Natasha suggested before turning away from him. She had to take a breath to calm herself as she walked away, back to her car which she had parked a short distance from the restaurant- she never liked parking where she was.

With a swift gaze around, she confirmed that she was alone and slipped into her car. "Stop it- stop being weak." She muttered to herself. She had actually _agreed_ to go out with Steve. How could she have been so stupid? Thankfully, he messed up the terms and she was able to wiggle her way out of it. But that didn't stop her getting swept up in his suggestion of a 'casual relationship,' which actually had sounded appealing for a short while. It was one type of relationship she would actually consider getting herself messed up in. But that would inevitably end in a bad way, or worse.

Remaining friends with Steve was more important; she knew that if she ever did date him, it would end badly and would ruin their friendship. She was not willing to let that happen.

With another deep breath, she turned on the engine and drove, breaking the speed-limit to get back; she wanted to train.

* * *

Natasha was sitting on the mats in a box-slip as she stretched herself out. It was five-thirty in the morning and she had been up for just over an hour. After taking a light run, she decided to stretch out and train; you could never train too much. She bent her head around as the door opened behind her, presuming it would be Steve- who else would be up this early- but was surprised when Wanda walked in. She threw the younger woman a confused glance. "Am I seeing things?" She teased.

Wanda offered a small grin and a laugh. "Very funny." She knew Natasha was teasing her for not training as much as she should have lately. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I thought I could be more productive with my time." She said in her deep accent.

"Come and join me," Natasha offered before turning away and ducking her head to her knee as she laced her hands around her foot.

"Sure." Wanda agreed, throwing her gym bag onto a nearby bench. There was a muffled thump as she sat beside her.

Natasha looked up. "Have you warmed up yet? If not, fifty jumping jacks, fifty sit-ups, twenty push-ups, fifty lunges and and ten pull-ups." She ordered, realising that it was more effective to warm up first before stretching or training.

There was a groan. "But it's so _early_!" And then several muttered complaints as Wanda lifted herself to her feet once more to begin her jumping jacks. "You're cruel, Natasha." She puffed between jumps.

"You don't need to work out your voice," Natasha replied with a hint of a smirk on her lips. She stood up and began doing the same workout as Wanda. "If I beat you, you'll have to do two laps around the base in under an hour."

The younger woman smiled slightly with a determined look in her eyes. "You're on."

Natasha smirked competitively and worked Wanda as hard as she could; although, she did hold back, letting the younger girl win. They were neck in neck on the pullups and she forced herself to go slowly, allowing Wanda to pull up and jump down first. Nat jumped down after her final pull up. "Well, you really have improved. Let's see where else you've improved."

Wanda was breathing heavily and looked fearful at the prospect of further torturous workouts. Natasha waited patiently for her to catch her breath before they continued their warmups.

"How do you… how are you still… upright?" Wanda gasped.

She smiled in response. "A lot of practice." Rolling her shoulders back to loosen them up, her eyes ran over Wanda's body. "Let's do some control drills; you're tired, it's the best time to do them. That bench- I want you to move it four times; I want it to be placed next to each one of the four walls-without touching them." She paused, "We don't have all day."

Wanda nodded in reluctant acquiescence before stretching her arms and beginning the task. She started by lifting the bench and carrying it, but after doing so twice her arms started aching and she was forced to push it along the ground, creating an awful scraping noise.

"Some people are still sleeping, did you want to wake them up? Pick it up, Wanda," Natasha guided.

"Does it _matter_ if I wake them up? Why should they be allowed sleep when I am not?" At Natasha's raised eyebrow, the woman sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll pick it up." Her arms quivered under the bench's weight as she slowly lifted it before trudging to the next wall, where she all but slammed it to the ground in her eagerness to relieve the crushing pressure.

"Stop, stop," Natasha sighed. "You have to relax, ignore the pain or the tension. Breathe and just do it. _You_ are in control, if you want to move that without making a sound, _you_ can do it. Believe in yourself and move that bench. Now, I am going to close my eyes; every sound I hear, there will be a consequence." She closed her eyes.

"O-okay." Wanda said. Natasha listened, but to her pride, she heard no sound until the bench was placed back on the ground at the next wall. "Done."

Her eyes opened, looking straight at Wanda, her eyes flickering over to the bench before back to her trainee. "Not perfect, but it'll do for now. You can choose what to do next."

Wanda looked contemplative for a moment. "Well, I wish I could choose a nap, because that lack of sleep is really catching up with me now." She joked with a smile. "But since I can't… did you want to spar? I could really use some pointers."

Natasha smiled, "Good choice. Let's see how much sleep-deprival affects you." She crossed over to the mats again and took her stance, waiting for Wanda to make the first move.

Wanda got into a similar stance, having to be corrected a few times on where her feet should go. Finally she started the match with a high kick towards Natasha's chest.

Natasha easily pushed her leg away, observing how she regained her composure. "Strengthen your center. Bend your legs." After a few more deflections, she began pushing the younger girl. "Don't just try to hit me once- the faster and harder your hits, the more likely you'll get them. Hit me."

Wanda tried again, moving her arms and legs as fast as she could whilst still maintaining her balance and pose. She aimed punch after kick at the woman, all of her attacks being easily blocked and deflected. She groaned in frustration and increased her efforts.

"Come on, if you didn't have your powers, you'd be useless, right? Show me what you've got!" Natasha goated, pushing the younger girl. Her eyes flickered to the door for a split second as it opened. Usually she would look straight back at her target, but Steve's hair was all tousled like he had just woken up- it was past six, did he usually look this sleepy?

"C'mon, Nat! Now you're just showing-" Wanda's complaint was cut short as one of her hits landed firmly on Natasha's collarbone. She gasped and recoiled as if burned; had she just _hit_ Natasha?

Natasha turned back violently, her eyes cold, like she was ready to kill. Her arms came up and her stance hardened for a split second before her expression returned to neutral and her stance loosened and relaxed. She cleared her throat. "That's what I'm talking about- good job."

The smile on Wanda's face was blindingly bright and full of pride. "Thank you!" She exclaimed. "But… how _did_ that happen? What did I do differently that suddenly worked?"

Natasha glanced at Steve, who was looking at them curiously as he picked up some weights. "You waited until I was distracted. My mistake." She looked Wanda straight in the eye. "Find your opponent's weaknesses and use them against them."

"So… It wasn't my doing when I tagged you? It was just you being distracted? That's depressing." Wanda grumped.

"On the contrary; you were quick enough to hit me before getting thrown to the ground. That is definitely something to be proud of," Natasha told her.

Wanda brightened and nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Steve who was eying them curiously. "Steve, what brings you here so early?"

"It's not that early; I'm usually up at this time," Steve answered with a smile. "Haven't seen you around this early before; only Natasha and Sam."

"Couldn't sleep, and _yes_ , it _is_ early! Why are you professional superheroes up so freakishly early?" Wanda demanded, taking advantage of the break to grab her water bottle.

Natasha swung her leg up, kicking the bottle out of Wanda's hand and catching it, "Because we like to strike when our victims are unprepared; and the best time for that is early in the morning."

Wanda frowned at her indignantly. "But how will _that_ be effective if you're half asleep? I know you're not going to sleep early, so do you Avengers only function on a few hours of sleep?"

"I only really need a good ten hours a week- I just go sleep every night because it's more normal," Steve admitted. Man, he had good genes- well, serum.

"I'm used to functioning on four hours a night… I haven't slept for over five and a half hours in years." Natasha added with a small smirk.

"Yeah, well, I try to be a human being instead of a vampire, like you all seem to be." Wanda smirked.

Natasha coolly studied Wanda for a moment; she was facing Steve and giving him most of her attention. "Maybe it's time you went for a run- one lap should do for now."

"But I thought we were doing this together?" Wanda asked, confused, before frowning in defeat and trudging to the outdoor track.

"I ran earlier," Natasha commented as she watched her walk out. She turned her attention to Steve. "Why do you look like crap?" She asked him casually.

He frowned in mock hurt and placed a hand over his heart. "Why, how rude! I don't know what you're talking about!" Then he relaxed and offered a slight smile. "I didn't get much sleep last night, although that seems to be the story with everyone this morning."

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Natasha inquired; she know why she couldn't sleep- Steve was unfortunately on her mind and her brain refused to let her get any rest.

He shrugged. "Just lots of anxiety lately, I suppose. How did _you_ sleep?" The look in his eye was freakishly knowing, as if he could read her mind.

"Fine." She replied shortly, her eyes narrowing. "I am going to set you up on a date with a friend… acquaintance of mine."

He looked slightly confused as he tilted his head to the side. "Why would I want to date your f- _acquaintance?_ And why would you set me up with them? I thought you got over obsessing over my love life!"

"When you started obsessing over _my_ lovelife, I knew that you had too much time on your hands," Natasha responded. Maybe if he was preoccupied with another women, they wouldn't see each other as much and she could move on and be herself. "How's tomorrow night?"

He shrugged again, apparently conceding her point. "Sounds good, I guess. But they'd better not be some homicidal maniac, or I'm out." He said pointedly, jabbing a finger in her direction.

"Deal," Natasha agreed, although she felt her heart stop at him so easily accepting to go on a date with somebody else. He didn't even really put up a fight. And now she had the task of finding somebody by tomorrow. Who did she know? Pepper, Laura, Jane, Bobbi, Lila, Wanda, May and Maria. Pepper was with Tony; Laura was with Clint; Jane was with Thor; Bobbi was with Hunter, again; Lila was only eight; Wanda, but there was no chance she could set them up; May… Would Melinda May even be interested? Nah, Natasha was confident she had a thing for another agent. And finally, Maria… no, she can't set him up with somebody he already knows. "I'll give you the details tomorrow."

He nodded and headed over to the mats. "Wanna spar? You totally cheated last time, so I want a rematch."

"I didn't cheat, but if you wanted to try and pin me, all you had to do was ask," Natasha flirted. It was instinct to flirt, but she really should stop flirting with or teasing Steve- his reaction was far too pleasing.

He turned beet red and lost his ready stance, rubbing the back of his neck. "I- That's not what I _meant_ , Nat, and you know it!" Then he resumed his fighting stance and took a breath.

"Whatever you say, Hot Stuff," Natasha responded teasingly as she took her own stance. "Come at me."

He obliged, aiming a fist at her face which she easily ducked out of the way. Steve might have been incredibly strong and agile, but he wasn't the quickest. He took a step back and raised his arms in defence, obviously waiting for her attack. They often took turns switching from offensive to defensive to better hone their combat skills, but this time, she was going to change tactics. After a few seconds of standing still, he launched at her and she once again slipped out of the way, curling past his body.

She nimbly spun around him, catching him in one of his blind spots just beyond his shoulder blade and digging her knee into the small of his back, pushing his shoulders until he landed gracelessly on the mat. She then flipped him over and straddled him, pinning his arms to the ground between her legs and his sides. He stared up at her in surprise and his face slowly turned red.

"I think I surrender." He said, keeping his eyes firmly on the ceiling beyond her head.

"You only _think_? I got you down on the ground in less than a minute; you are useless on little sleep. Tell me again how you took down Red Skull?" Natasha mocked, holding his wrists against the mat. She knew he could easily flip them- after all, he was a lot stronger than her.

He was apparently too flustered to reverse their positions and the awkwardness _that_ would bring, so he instead settled for bursting out of her vice grip and grabbing both of her small wrists in his hands, restraining her. His smile was cocky.

"You were saying?" He remarked cheekily.

Without hesitation, she leant forward and surprised him with a kiss. He immediately let go of her and she pulled back before doing a back-handspring off him and onto her feet. "You lose. I'm going to check on Wanda." She stated quickly, backing away from him and exiting the room before he had chance to get up or even respond.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Let me know if you enjoyed it! :D**


	9. I am her friend

**Author's note:**

 **Hey! Beta and Co-Writer: ThisVioletofMine!**

 **Thank you to those amazing Five individuals who reviewed my last chapter: Sportsfan64; Baibe; Amy Hamato; Keara Park; harshi.**

* * *

Steve scanned the crowd somewhat anxiously as a large group of people entered the restaurant across the road from where he was waiting. He pulled out his phone, unlocking it and opening up the text from Natasha that explained everything- walking around the museum for an hour and then eating at the restaurant opposite. Checking the time, he wondered if his date wasn't going to turn up, or if this was just some joke Natasha was playing on him.

"Steve Rogers?" A woman's voice came from beside him.

He turned and smiled at the woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue dress, just above knee length. "Yes- Naomi Adams?"

"Yes; it is very nice to meet you," Naomi replied with a bright smile.

"And you," Steve said before he realised that past this point, he had no idea what to do. He offered her his arm. "First stop is the museum."

Naomi took his arm without restraint. "Sounds great to me. How do you know Natasha Romanoff?"

Steve looked at her; was it possible she didn't know who he was? Had she really found somebody who didn't think of him as Captain America? "We're teammates. How about you?"

"She saved my life a few years ago," Naomi replied vaguely. "Can we check out the Picasso section first?"

"Of course, uhm…" Steve agreed. He took a look around and picked up a map, trying to work out where it was. He felt himself being gently tugged by his date in what he presumed was the correct direction. "So you like Picasso, the…" he checked the pamphlet, "artist." He then saw the date when Picasso had been around and realised he should have known about this artist.

"Yes, I prefer his work over other artists. You know, he is considered one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century." Naomi pointed out.

Steve nodded and looked at the painting they had stopped in front of. "This is a.. uhm… lovely piece."

"It's a piece from the Rose Period; personally I prefer the Analytic Cubism. Which is your favourite period?" Naomi asked him.

"Same," Steve replied- maybe he should have done a tour of the museum first so he actually knew about art. He allowed himself to be directed around.

"Did you know that Picasso had two children? They were born after you- isn't that strange?" Naomi laughed.

Steve knew she was just making conversation, but he couldn't think of a response to that; it just made him feel even more out of place. "Yeah, strange. Where were you born?"

"Alabama, and moved out here two years ago. It was a big transition; I lived in a small town in Alabama, and the city is… it was overwhelming, at first," Naomi answered. "How about you?"

By this time it was obvious to Steve that Naomi knew exactly who he was and about his past. He knew she was just asking questions to be polite and he appreciated it a lot. "New York, but it's changed a lot from when I was younger."

"How did you manage the transition?"

"S.H.I…" Steve stopped suddenly, remembering that he probably shouldn't talk about S.H.I.E.L.D. "Natasha and the Avengers really helped me when I woke up in this time."

"She's really great, isn't she?" Naomi gushed slightly. "I was surprised when she contacted me this morning, paid for my flight out here to go on a date with you. I thought she was joking at first, but she… she's honestly my guardian angel."

"She really is the best, isn't she?" Steve agreed.

 **Three hours later.**

He looked at his date and he could only come up with one conclusion over the last three hours: she was perfect for him. She transitioned from a small town to New York, which was similar to him transitioning from New York 1940's to New York now. She was smart and, as far as he could tell, liked history; which was all he really knew. When she spoke about a new topic, she summarised all of her points and gave background- which was very important when there was a high chance he didn't know what she was referring to. And she loved art, just like he did; he still drew from time to time. And she was incredibly understanding. But, even though she ticked all of the boxes, he didn't want to date somebody who was just like him. And he needed to be honest with her. "Naomi, can I be completely honest with you?" He asked, seeking permission.

Naomi placed her glass down and smiled. "Of course."

Steve had to take a breath; he was never confident around women. "I like somebody, and they don't share my feelings, which is why I agreed to go on a date…"

"But that doesn't change how you feel about her," Naomi finished with an understanding smile. "It's tough. Is there any way I can help?"

"Not really, unless you know how to break through somebody's walls," Steve replied with a smile; Naomi really was amazing.

"You can't rush things. A lot of men are scared to be 'friendzoned', and it stops them from trying. But relationships need trust, and everybody is afraid to get hurt," She advised. "Take things slow- be her friend."

"I am her friend."

"Then," Naomi paused. "You appear to be a very formal individual, with set dates and titles. You don't have to state that you're going out with somebody to be going out."

Steve's mouth opened in realisation. Natasha had told him exactly how to enter a relationship with her when they were undercover. She had told everybody that they hadn't actually gone on any dates, but just fell into it. He had been here pressuring her to formally go on dates and date him- when, in reality, he needed to approach things more informally. He looked up at Naomi and smiled. "You're right. Thank you." His smile dimmed- how rude was he, getting advice about another woman on a date? "I'm sorry- I'm being extremely rude."

"It's fine; I believe there is somebody for everyone," Naomi replied. "Now that the date has ended," she indicated their empty plates, "can I take a selfie with you? It's going to make all of my coworkers so jealous that I met you."

Steve was honestly surprised, but smiled genuinely. "Of course. And you can tell them that I had a fantastic time with you. Thank you."

Naomi grinned. "If you ever need any help, feel free to call me… or if things don't work out with that other woman."

"I'll save your number." They took a selfie before he paid for dinner and walked her out to get a cab. They exchanged a hug before taking another selfie, and then she left.

* * *

Natasha's fists were red as she continued to beat against the rough material of the punching bag. She knew that her phone was going off for the twelfth time in the last two hours. But she did not halt, her eyes focused on the bag her fists were hitting.

"I'm hurt- you haven't ignored my calls in a long time," Clint's voice appeared from behind her.

Natasha spun around, dropping her arms and looking at him slightly blankly. "Clint."

He smiled softly as he approached her, his hands resting on her arms. "What's wrong?"

Natasha looked at him; she wasn't one to show her feelings, but this was Clint- he was the exception. She ducked her head and rested it against his chest. "Nothing's wrong- I'm just tired."

Clint's arms snaked around her, giving her a tight hug, and in return she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Oh, yes, everything is fine- you _always_ hug me," he responded with a slight sarcastic tone.

"Shut up, Clint." Natasha grumbled. "Do you think Laura will mind a visit? I need some advice." Even though she did not release her hold on him, she could see his offended expression in her mind. She knew he was pulling it.

"Excuse me? Can't _I_ help?"

Natasha leant back and looked up at him; she needed to put her high heels back on. She hated being short. "No. I'm going to your place for awhile."

Clint pulled a face. "How about you don't go just yet." He chuckled when she frowned at him confusedly. "I'd rather if you wait until I go back- don't want to worry my kids… remember last time you turned up unannounced without me?"

"True," Natasha muttered, remembering having to get Clint on the phone mid-mission because the kids didn't believe her. Last time she was ever going to surprise them alone. "What are you doing here?" She asked, letting go of him and taking a step back.

"Wanted to check up on Wanda; how's she doing?"

Natasha rolled her eye. "Let's go and find her." She gave herself a second to freshen up before leaving the room with Clint.

* * *

Natasha noticed Steve answering his phone, walking away from Wanda and past her.

"W-what?" He whispered into the phone. His grip tightened to the point that his arm appeared to be shaking. "Really? No…" There was distress and disbelief in his voice.

Natasha looked up at him from her position on top of a very pained Sam, who was pinned to the ground. "Steve, you alright?" She called, pulling Sam's arm further back when he went to move.

Steve jumped as if he had forgotten the group behind him was even there and turned to face her slowly. "I…" He trailed off, and suddenly his face was very pale. He dropped the phone to the ground and fled without another word. The newer trainees looked confused at his sudden departure.

Natasha stood up, releasing Sam. "Vision and Sam, Wanda and Rhodey- spar, test each other, work out. Go."

Wanda and Rhodey exchanged troubled looks as she followed after Steve, while Vision and Sam proceeded to follow instructions wordlessly.

Natasha checked Steve's bedroom door; she knew that's where he was. "Steve." She called, knocking on the door lightly. "Let me in."

There was a mumbled, "Leave me be, Natasha."

Without hesitation, she turned and walked off and entered the room beside his. With a quick glance out the window, she took ahold of the curtains and jumped, pushing and swinging herself over to his window. She knocked casually. "Steve, let me in." She gave him another chance- it wouldn't take too much effort to get into his room from here. And it wasn't even that high, so she wasn't worried about injuring herself- too much, anyway.

He didn't answer this time, but a slight shuffling sound was heard before all was silent again.

Her hand scanned over her body and she grimaced as she realised she didn't actually have any weapons on her. She didn't want to break the window, so she carefully shimmied over to his bathroom window, which was slightly ajar. Pulling it open even more, she caught the latch and opened it fully before sliding in- why were the bathroom windows so much smaller? Brushing herself off, she walked into his main bedroom.

It was dark due to the curtains being firmly shut, and at first Steve was nowhere to be seen. Then she went further into the room and found him, curled up, sitting in the gap between his bed and the wall. He didn't acknowledge her at first, so she walked up to him and sat beside him; she didn't know what was wrong, but felt like it was the right thing to not leave him alone- wasn't Clint still around here somewhere? Maybe she could get him to come; he was a lot better at this 'comforting' thing.

Finally he spoke, but his voice sounded odd. "Go away, Natasha. Please." He practically begged, which was surprising. He wasn't usually this… what was the word? Emotional? Either way, it was confusing and had the room thrown into befuddled silence for a few moments.

"I'm not going anywhere," Natasha stated stubbornly, although her voice was soft and quiet.

He laughed lightly, but there was no humor in it. He brought a shaking hand up to his forehead and rubbed it, then ran it through his short hair. "Of course not… You're too stubborn, you know that?" He said somewhat fondly, trying to change the subject.

"I know; it's one of my better qualities," Natasha joked lightly, placing a hand on his knee. "Now, what's up?"

"I'm not sure I'm up to talking about it right now, Natasha…" He replied, not rejecting her hand, though.

She stared at the wall opposite them, trying to think about what she could say to get him to open up without manipulating him. Meaning, no lies. "I…" She halted; she could think of a secret to tell him- that's what Clint always did. "I never actually did ballet."

Even in the shadowy darkness of his room, she could feel his confused expression. "Why would that matter? It doesn't change anything about you- you're still as graceful as a ballerina, whether you were one or not." He offered, voice a bit dry from some sort of emotion that she couldn't pinpoint.

"That doesn't change that I believed I had been a ballerina, that I had danced… it was one thing that kept me sane, helped me carry on through all of the conditioning, training, torture… it was my rock, the thing that kept my feet on the ground… and then the ground was ripped from me when I found out."

He sat in contemplative silence for a few moments before offering a response. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

Natasha shrugged. "Clint used to tell me stupid things until I cracked… seriously, I didn't need to know that he used to sing in the choir until he was eight."

"Mm… I used to sing when I was a boy… I was terrible at it, really, but that never stopped me from belting out whatever song caught my fancy." His voice held a tone of fond remembrance. "After a while, though, I just… stopped, I guess. There was nothing to sing about- nothing happy." And suddenly he seemed to be back in the present, back with whatever sadness plagued him.

"The first person I remember killing was a girl the same age as me; we were both in the Red Room. I was just better than her." Natasha revealed.

He didn't immediately reply to that, but he didn't sound disgusted or betrayed, either. "The first girl I ever asked out was ten years older than me- she was a senior in high school. She laughed at me, but her laugh was so obnoxious and stupid that it made _me_ laugh at _her_." He recalled, trying to keep the mood a bit lighter.

She couldn't help but crack a smile. "I used to be married."

He made an odd inhaling sound at that. "R-really? Did you eat him, Black Widow?" Behind the joke was a real question on what exactly happened to _that_ relationship.

Natasha let out a chuckle, but she wasn't exactly amused by that comment. "No. He died. I don't want to talk about it, though." She was kicking herself internally for being so stupid- to bring _that_ up? Of course he'd want an explanation.

He nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry- for your loss and for asking." Before she could respond, he continued his retelling of cherished memories. It must have been therapeutic to him. "Once, when I was twelve, there was this old lady whose husband had died. She always kept to herself, everybody called her an old hag and avoided her. One day she was having problems carrying her groceries up the steps into her house, so I helped her." He chuckled. "She baked me cookies once a week for two months straight before she died in her sleep." Steve's voice seemed to give out after that and so he sat quietly, waiting for her to speak.

"I hear dying in your sleep is one of the best ways to die," Natasha commented; she could also list the worst ways to die, but didn't think that would be helpful.

"I hope so… She was a sweet lady; she deserved to go peacefully." He reminisced.

His stories were all so sweet, and Natasha couldn't think of anything like that. She took a few moments to reply, finally thinking of something to say. "I like cooking. I burn things on purpose so people won't know I can cook. I like cooking for myself, but others are too critical… or they try to give me advice."

Steve was clearly smiling. "I believe you. I'm sure you're a fantastic cook." He gently placed a hand on top of the one she had forgotten was still on his leg. "I'm actually allergic to dogs, but that doesn't stop me from being absolutely infatuated with them. I would fill my house to the brim with dogs if I had the time and the money."

"I totally peg you as a dog guy," Natasha commented, staring down at his hand on hers but not pulling it away.

"What about you?" He asked kindly, his fingers now interlaced with hers. His breathing was soft and calmer than before.

Natasha was glad that it was getting even darker, because her first reaction to him interlacing their fingers was to glare at them excessively. But she finally relaxed; his voice was a lot smoother now. "I like all animals- more of a cat person, though; they don't need as much attention."

"I once walked in on a cat giving birth… I was five, and it traumatized me." He seemed to shiver. "Needless to say, I basically avoided cats after that."

Natasha pulled a face, looking at him. "I've seen more than one birth… eight, to be exact."

"Human?" He asked.

Natasha nodded, then realised he probably couldn't see her. "Yeah. Put me off having kids for life." Not that she could actually _have_ kids, but that wasn't the point.

"I don't think I could stomach being in the same room during something like that… If I ever have kids, they'll most certainly be adopted." He asserted, leaning his head back against the wall with a sigh.

"Adopted? How come?" She asked, intrigued.

"Well, first off, childbirth is something I'm too traumatized to ever witness ever again. Secondly, I knew several kids back in my time who were abandoned at orphanages. They were miserable and just wanted a family to love them… Adopting children, I think, is something everybody who's capable and willing should do. There are so many kids who need families." He sighed again and scrubbed his other hand over his face tiredly.

"I agree with you on that matter," Natasha told him. She couldn't think of anything else to say- no secrets were coming to her mind... unless she started to list everybody she had killed; but she didn't think now was the time for that. She was tempted to ask him what had made him so upset before, but didn't want to be kicked out. Thankfully, he took care of that dilemma for her.

Steve inhaled sharply before spitting out, "Peggy is dead." His energy seemed to leave him with this confession.

"Your ex-girlfriend from the forties," Natasha spoke, saying what she knew. "How did it happen?"

He took in a shaky breath, calmness from earlier suddenly gone. "She… they said her heart just… stopped." His grip on her hand was now less gentle and kind and more desperate for solace.

Natasha turned her body around to face him more intimately. She placed her other hand over his. "She's at rest now. She's at peace." She soothed, having no clue if that would help; she didn't believe in eternal peace or a better life after death.

He let out a sob and curled in on himself, maintaining his frantic grip on her hands. "I should have… I should-"

"You did everything you could have. She had a long and fulfilled life, right?"

"I- I guess so… But I still should have been there to say goodbye." His voice cracked on the last word and he launched forward, wrapping his arms around her in a desperate hug.

Natasha's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she automatically went rigid, but she forced herself to relax as much as she could and hugged him back. "Shh… it's okay… don't cry… shh…" What was she supposed to say now? Was it too late to get Clint in here instead?

His grip on her, while careful to avoid harming her, stayed strong for several more minutes as he wet her shoulder with tears. He had never opened himself up like this before; it was uncharted territory. "Peggy… I'm sorry…" He whispered, muffled by the fabric of her shirt.

The patting on his back had become constant, like a clock. "She knows."

After a few more minutes, he slowly relinquished his hold on her and leaned back to rest against the wall once more. "I-I'm sorry, Natasha. I shouldn't have dragged you into this. You can leave, if you want." He said quietly.

Natasha _wanted_ to leave- she wanted to get up and run out of that room, right now. This whole situation was way out of her comfort zone. But she didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere until I know you're okay."

In the waning light, she could see him smile the tiniest bit. He wiped the tears from his face and blinked the rest away. "... Thank you." He said sincerely.

Her thumb crossed over his cheek, wiping away the tears he had missed. She felt him lean into the touch slightly. "D'you want to spar?" She asked, not knowing what else to say now. She knew that was a stupid suggestion. "Or... we could watch a movie?" Lila liked that.

He grabbed a tissue and blew his nose before answering, "A movie sounds nice."

"Any on that list of yours you want to watch?" She questioned.

"Well, considering that new movie coming out, Star Wars would be a good one to catch up on." He suggested, awkwardly coming to a stand and offering to help her up.

Natasha accepted his hand and stood up, not really needing his help but allowing it anyways. "Star Wars it is- we'll do it in chronological order."

"Is there another way?"

"The films came out in a different order," She informed. "4, 5 and 6 came out before 1, 2 and 3." She paused as he nodded- he seemed to understand. "We'll head up to my room; I have them stored on my external hard drive." At his hesitation, she offered another option. "Or I could go grab it and bring my laptop down; we can watch it on that?" She suggested.

Steve smiled. "I'd like that. I can find something for us to eat."

"Sounds good. I'll be back in a minute."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! :D**

 **Sorry about cutting the date a little short, the chapter was getting way too long!**

 **Who likes that Clint was here? :D**

 **Let me know what you thought and who you'd like to see before this ends?**


	10. What are your feelings?

**Author's Note:**

 **If you like Clint, you'll like this chapter!**

 **Big thank you to Andromeda2000 for helping me write one of the scenes, and to Sanctuaria for beta'ing this chapter and helping me go from 'I hate it' to 'okay, that works' for the majority of it!**

 **Finally, but very importantly, a thank you to those who review! Sportsfan64; Sanctuaria; Baibe; Keara Park; Amy Hamato.**

 **Sorry about the week's wait, but Christmas! Hope you all had a great Christmas or Hannukah or time off :D**

* * *

Clint was relaxing on his bed in just a pair of jeans, the radio was going off in the background as he had his mobile pressed against his ear. "I don't want to bring her back right now, she needs to deal with this herself."

"Natasha is not going to deal with this, you do remember how long it took her to even trust you after you two met; she's not one to reveal her feelings, that's not her," Laura replied. "What she needs is to come home and get some sense knocked into her."

"Laura, have faith in her," Clint replied. "Can you please just give me advice on how to smooth the bridge?"

Laura sighed, "I do have faith in Natasha. I don't know what advice to give, I'm still confused on what happened with Bruce, I thought they made a cute couple."

"Nah," Clint dismissed, "that wasn't real. She was using her head, those two… they weren't the right people for each other. He was somebody she could make sense of for a relationship-he was a monster, a way to keep the distance between having a fully committed relationship."

"And Steve?"

"That's her heart, that is what she is ignoring."

Laura chuckled on the other side of the phone, "I never thought I would be talking to you about Natasha's lovelife."

"Okay, okay, laugh it up," Clint rolled his eyes at his wife theatrics. He picked up his gun and twirled it in his fingers- he hardly used one but could admit that they were handy- as he waited for his wife to stop laughing. He honestly couldn't see how that was so funny. His eyes darted to his door when he heard light footsteps approaching; he was confident that it was Natasha, but was prepared in case it wasn't. "Laura, hold that thought." His wife went silent at his words and tone of voice.

Natasha barged in without knocking, "You need to take over from me." She declared as she kicked off her shoes and climbed into his bed. "I don't know how you can watch that."

Clint's eyes remained on Natasha confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Steve was upset, so I offered to watch a film with him… of course he chose Star Wars," she grumbled.

"You actually watched Star Wars with him; you _hate_ Star wars," Clint chuckled, highly amused by the knowledge.

"Shut up! And those films are just as awful as when you forced me to watch them," Natasha retorted, sending a glare in his direction, but he didn't take it seriously.

"How far did you get?" He questioned, he remembered that she was ready to kill him when he had convinced her to watch them the first time around.

"First two," Natasha answered.

Clint groaned, "You watched them in the wrong order, didn't you?"

"No! I watched them in the _correct_ order, they were made in the _wrong_ order," Natasha defended holding her hand out. "Now go. I said I'd only be a few minutes."

Clint rolled his eyes, "Sorry Laura, I have to go. I love you."

"I love you too, talk to Steve about his feelings, I need both sides of the story. Put Natasha on," Laura replied easily, he had ended called more suddenly than this in the past.

"Sure, give the kids a hug from me." He added before handing the phone to Natasha.

"Hey Laura," Natasha greeted instantly. "What?" she looked at him and laughed, making Clint could only wonder what Laura had said. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him."

Clint rolled his eyes as he stood up and grabbed a t-shirt and slipped it on, "Thanks." He muttered sarcastically.

"He did leave his door unlocked, so I'll make sure he locks it next time too," Natasha added with a small smirk.

"Like locking the would've stopped you," Clint muttered to himself as he slipped on his trainers. "Can I have my phone back?"

"No, I'm talking to Laura," Natasha responded as she made herself comfortable on his bed.

Clint rolled his eyes, "Fine, give me your phone then." He caught her phone which came zooming towards his head and left the room. With a glance down both directions, he headed for Steve's room, presuming that would be where he is.

* * *

Clint knocked on Steve's door, deciding to wait for him to answer instead of walking straight in. The door opened within seconds.

"Clint, how nice to see you," Steve greeted with a smile. "Can I help you with something?"

"Natasha asked me to take her place in watching Star Wars," he told his teammate honestly. "I'm surprised she lasted two films."

Steve offered him a confused expression, "She didn't like the films? We could have watched something else."

"Natasha is a complicated individual, but I think you know that by now," Clint responded before he made his way into Steve's room, foregoing the invitation. The room was very tidy, which made sense with Steve's personality. "Nice room."

"Thank you," Steve replied genuinely as he closed his door.

Clint turned around, he noticed the third Star Wars set up, "How are you liking Star Wars?"

"It's really good," Steve answered, but Clint couldn't tell if he really meant it or not; he was hard to read sometimes. "I'll turn it off…"

"Don't worry, I'll watch it with you," Clint offered kindly. He wouldn't pass up the opportunity to watch it again, it was one of his favourite movie series'.

"That's okay, I should check on the recruits anyway. We can watch it another time, though. If you don't mind?"

Clint nodded, "That will be great, just let me know when." He paused, "What are your feelings towards Natasha?" he questioned bluntly.

Steve paused for a moment as he looked at him, it almost seemed as if he was not going to answer the question. There was a visible hesitation before he replied. "You already know the answer to that. Don't you?"

Clint stared at him for a moment, the desire to repeat his original question was overbearing in his mind; that was what he did with his children to get them to talk. But this was a different matter, at least, he decided to approach it in a different way. "It's not about what I think the answer is, Steve."

Steve nodded lightly, it looked like a whole weight was resting on his shoulders as he sat down on his bed, "Yes, I like her. Of course I do; she's amazing."

He nodded in agreement, "How far you are willing to go for her; are you in for the long haul, or is this something that you could quickly get over?"

"I don't mess around, Clint." Steve told him, truthfully. "And we both know that. So yes... you could say that I'm in for the ride."

Clint gave him a single nod, he knew this about Steve, but he needed to hear him say it. "I don't know how you dated back in the forties, or what you've learnt since being defrosted-but when it comes to Natasha, you need to forget it all." He advised simply.

Steve looked at him, between amused and curious. "I know that she isn't like any other girl."

Clint eyes narrowed ever so slightly, it was instinct. "What makes you think you'll be good for her anyway?" He questioned. Many had pursued Natasha, and if she didn't kill them, he had convinced them to walk away, however, Steve was one he was willing to give a chance. Bruce hadn't really been a real contender, that was all Natasha and bizarre.

Steve thought about it for a moment. "I don't know that I am good enough. I can't just look at myself for proof. I know that I care about her and that I would do anything for her, but sometimes that's not enough. But I do think it should be her choice at this point, not mine."

With a firm nod, accepting the man's reply, Clint sat down on the bed next to him. "Great, then here is what you do. You go up to her and tell her how you feel, what you are wanting and then tell her it is all up to her and then you leave. It might take an hour, or a year, but if she feels the same way, she'll accept your offer into a relationship." He told him firmly before sending a slightly protective look, "There will be no pressuring her into anything. No tricking into dates, or blackmailing her to kiss you or something... because then it'll never work. She'll see through all of that, the only thing you have that everybody else who has tried hadn't had; is your honesty and patience. Understand?"

"I understand." Steve nodded. "Thanks for the advice... I appreciate it." He added.

Clint's pocket buzzed and he slipped out Natasha's phone, answering it without hesitation, "Barton. She's got mine. Yes sir. Understand. Yes sir." He stood up as he ended the call. "Got called onto a mission, Nat too."

Steve nodded, "Did you need any backup?"

"No," Clint replied simply. "Let me know about Star Wars." He threw over his shoulder as he left Steve's room and headed back to his own room.

He entered to see Natasha slipping into her tac-suit, he knew it was the one she kept with his things, in case of an emergency. As she looked up at him, his tac-suit came flying towards him. With ease he caught it, and began changing without restraint. After stitching each other up in awkward places, they weren't shy around each other anymore.

"Did Fury tell you the mission details?" Clint questioned.

"No."

"Phone," he muttered as he threw hers back to her, within seconds he caught his and slipped it into inner pocket, zipping it up. "Did Laura tell you about Cooper's new project?"

"Yes, he's going to turn into you… is that a good or bad thing?" She questioned with a smirk, before verbally groaning, "I was going to head down there tonight, had to cancel for this mission. I'll head there after the mission."

"You were going to leave when I was watching Star Wars," Clint commented knowingly, with a fake disappointed shake of his head.

Natasha scoffed as she twirled three knives in one hand for a few seconds before hiding them on her person. "Ready."

"We'll take my quinjet," Clint stated, it was technically his, but he was currently using it. "Do you need to let anybody know you won't be on base?"

Her eyes unfocused for a split-second, "I should mention it to one of the recruits, out of common courtesy. I'll meet you at the hangar."

"Don't dawdle," Clint commented before heading out and heading for his quinjet, he'll get it started up, do all the checked and get Fury back on the phone to get the mission or location.

* * *

Natasha walked into Sam's room without knocking, "Sam-" she started.

"Jesus! Don't you knock!" Sam exclaimed with shock as he quickly closed his laptop and stared at her.

Natasha blinked, "I'm heading out for a mission. While I'm gone, you should work out on your awareness, you should have heard me coming; I wasn't quiet."

Sam stared at her silently for a moment, "Sounds good. How long will you be?"

"I have a mission, then some personal things to sort out; a few days," Natasha answered truthfully. "I can be reached on my phone for emergencies."

"Yes ma'am… I mean Natasha."

"Keep an eye on Steve for me, he's been acting strange," she added before bidding him a simple 'bye' and walking out of his room, not bothering to close his door after herself.

She had only made it three quarters of the way to the hangar when she was stopped by Steve. "Natasha, a word."

"I'm heading out for a mission, can it wait?" Natasha asked dismissively. However, regardless of her words, she stopped and him her full attention for a few seconds.

"Yes, it can wait, it's not important," Steve replied. Natasha turned to leave, but halted again at his next words. "But, if you could spare a minute, I'd like to say it now."

She turned back to him and checked the time, "38 seconds."

He noted and seemed to hesitate before speaking, "I want to have a relationship with you, as you know. But I will not mention it again, it is completely up to you if anything happens between us. I don't want to pressure you or anything, I'm just letting you know." He stopped and waited.

Natasha stared at him silently for seven seconds, waiting for the 38 seconds to be over. "Okay. I'll be back in a few days, you can call me for emergencies." She didn't leave immediately, watching his deflated nod, and she couldn't stop herself from adding. "We'll talk then, I promise." With a jagged and hesitant turn, she headed away from him.

Natasha entered the quinjet and instantly sat in the cockpit with Clint, "What's the mission?"

"Extraction." He replied, taking off instantly.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! And if I don't speak to you beforehand; HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	11. How are things with Steve?

**Author's Note:**

 **Welcome! HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is now 2016!**

 **Co-writer, ThisVioletofMine.**

 **Thank you to the amazing three individuals who reviewed my last chapter! This chapter is for you... who also happens to be in Clint's POV. It's a shorter chapter, but is one of my favourite chapters so far! To my reviewers: Qweb; Dhjdfh; Amy Hamato.**

* * *

Clint deftly landed the quinjet a few miles from the hidden base. It was located in Syria, a country with quite a bit of tension with the US- which is why they had been sent. They were requested to get in, get the girl who had been kidnapped simply because she was the daughter of an Agent of SHIELD, and get out without leaving any solid information on which country they came from. If there was no hard evidence, then it wouldn't create an international incident.

"Here we are. Get the bikes prepped, would ya?"

Natasha rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked over to the bikes. "Ready." She confirmed, twisting the key in the ignition of both bikes to check that they did, in fact, work.

Clint cut the ship's engine before joining her by the bikes, double-checking his quiver and the supply pouches on his own motorcycle. He opened the hangar and got ready, wheeling his bike to the edge of the ramp before turning to her for confirmation. "Ready to go?"

"You work on getting the kid; you're better with them," Natasha spoke as she sat on her bike, gearing it up. She tapped her ear, checking the comms. "Let's go."

He started off at that, easily getting far ahead of her before her bike caught up. "What're you going to do while I get the kid?" He asked through the comms.

"Kill the motherfuckers who took her," Natasha replied shortly.

"Whoo-whee! Someone's pissy." He teased lightly, managing to veer to the side to avoid a punch to the face before returning to her side. "Alright, sounds like a plan." Clint said, eyeing the building.

"I'm in," Came her reply, followed by gunfire.

He snapped to look at the spot she had just occupied, only to find that he was alone. "How the hell did you-? When-? Oh, nevermind. Where'd you park?" He cut the engine to avoid detection and wheeled the bike the rest of the way to the building's side.

"Still on the bike," She replied. A loud crash came through. "It's parked on the first floor. In some guy's skull."

He winced in sympathy and ditched the bike in a patch of high grass, stealthily making his approach. He drew his bow and grabbed an arrow, kicking down the door and taking down two armed guards. "Alright, kid's being kept on the third floor, so I'll be making my way there. Rendezvous point's coordinates should be on your phone. Meet me there in twenty minutes."

"Copy that," She replied.

Clint made quick work of six more assailants before he sprinted to the stairwell and climbed as fast as he could. He impaled a man with another arrow. "So how are things with Steve?" He asked conversationally as he pulled the projectile from the man's shoulder with a grunt.

An annoyed grunt came through the comms followed by a distinctive clink of somebody's neck breaking. "He's fine. Why?"

"Ah-ah-ah! I didn't ask how _Steve_ was, I asked how things _with_ Steve are. Sneaky little spy, you." He scolded, punching a bulky man until he fell two floors to a crunching death. Clint peeked over the railing, frowning a little before making his way up the final flight of stairs. "Answer the question, Nat- I'm starting to take out my frustration on these goons, and you know I hate doing that."

"We're just friends," She eventually replied, her voice almost drowned out by shattering glass and a crash. "Ow," she mumbled, "son of a bitch."

"You alright?" He asked instinctively, knowing full well that if she was cussing, she was probably more pissed than injured. "Do I need to call lover-boy in to assist?"

"Shut up, I'm probably more willing to shag you than Steve," Natasha replied without even answering if she was okay.

"Um, I have a _wife_. Why would you being willing to shag a married man more than a sexy hunk of bachelor?" He teased again, audibly waggling his eyebrows. He delivered a debilitating kick to another man's nether regions before sending him flying down the hallway and into his fellow guards.

A sigh, crash, crunch and yelp of pain before she replied, "I've slept with many married men; they were all too willing- before I… You and I get each other. Steve's probably a virgin or something. Not my type."

"Oh, well isn't that just boatloads of _reassuring_. Nat, we get each other in a 'totes besties' sort of way." Clint corrected, aiming his bow at a guard and motioning for him to enter in the passcode to open the cell containing their target. The man eyed him as though he was insane whilst begrudgingly carrying out the task. "Besides, why the hell are you so picky about the status of someone's virginity? That's, like, the stupidest thing I've heard all day." The guard's hand started shaking a little until Clint nudged him with the tip of his arrow.

"Steve's just… too…" Her voice suddenly stopped. "You got that kid yet?" She asked quickly.

He sighed. "Almost." Once the passcode had been entered successfully and the guard had been dispatched, he yanked the door open and swooped in to find the young girl staring at him in disbelief. "It's all fine, Sweetheart." He mumbled reassuringly before exchanging his bow for a crossbow, a weapon he could use singlehandedly while carrying the child with his other arm. "Seriously, Nat, you need to give the guy a chance. He obviously likes you- and for all the right reasons, too! So help me, if you two don't get together, I will fricking put hearts on the ends of my arrows and fricking shoot you both in the asses until you get the hint."

"Don't say 'fricking' in front of a kid… just get out of the building. _Now._ " Natasha said seriously. "And don't threaten to shoot me in the arse again- I'll tell your wife."

"And she'd agree with me!" He cried indignantly, telling the girl to cover her eyes before shooting an approaching attacker in the sternum. "Alright, I have the target and am making my way to the first floor. Eight minutes left on the clock, Nat, and you'd better be at the rendezvous point." He threatened.

"Get out and clear within 54 seconds; I'm trying to disable this bomb," Natasha replied. "And she won't agree with you threatening me- I'm one of her only friends."

"Bomb? What bomb?" He demanded. "Also, you're her _stubborn_ , _blind_ , _oblivious_ friend- of course she'll agree to me knocking some sense into you!" He kicked a man out of the way and threw open the door, sprinting madly for his bike.

"She lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere; I'm still one of her only friends," Natasha replied quickly. "You clear?" She questioned.

Clint set the girl on the seat in front of him, instructing her to grab the handlebars between his own hands, and turned the key in the ignition- only for the engine to splutter and die. He cursed, counting down in his head, kicked the bike and tried again; this time it worked, and he rode at top speed until he was a few miles away from the building rigged to explode. "Yes, we're both clear. You?" He asked as he drove.

There was static over the comms, but 24 more seconds passed with no explosion, and then there was finally a response. "Bomb disabled, I'm cle-" The building behind him, where Natasha had been, exploded. There must have been a second bomb.

"NATASHA!" He screamed into the comm, slamming on the brakes and turning to stare at the fiery explosion. The girl in front of him let go of the handles in favor of throwing her hands over her ears with a shriek.

No reply.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Welcome to 2016! I've updated sooner for you all, and you should get another up to date soon :D**


	12. I think I'm delusional

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello there! I received an amazing response on my last chapter! I think 5 or 6 reviews! I read them on my email and would like to thank you all. Unfortunately, FF is being annoying, so I can't individually reply like I am used to or see your names/reviews on FF. But know that I do really appreciate it.**

 **Here is a nice and long chapter for you all, over 3000 words!**

 **Shout out to my beta and co-writer: ThisVioletofMine!**

* * *

Wide-eyed with shock and disbelief, Clint quickly made his way to the quinjet with a sobbing little girl in tow. His bike spluttered and died again halfway there, however- damned goons must have sabotaged it while he was inside- and in his haste he ended up leaving it behind and determinedly hiking the rest of the way with the child riding on his back.

When they reached the quinjet, Clint was faced with a dilemma- he was so desperate to rush back to the rubble and dig his friend out no matter how long it took, but he couldn't leave the girl on the quinjet by herself, and he certainly wasn't taking her back to the hazardous heap of debris the building now was.

He finally decided that his best choice would be to call in the others. He laid the child down on a bunk in the wall and ran to the cockpit, picking up his wide-range communicator. He rang up Avengers HQ and waited anxiously for someone to pick up. "Dammit, pick up, pick up, pick u-"

He paused and looked behind him at the sound of an engine- did he need to fly out? The motorbike rode up and he aimed his bow and arrow at the person for a split second before a flash of red confirmed it was Natasha. She skidded the bike to a stop, her face wrinkled in pain. "The kid okay?"

"Hello?" Somebody answered the phone.

Clint stared at Natasha, not answering her or Steve, who had answered the call. He immediately noticed the crimson coloured blood all over Natasha's arms and back; and unfortunately, it looked like it was hers this time.

"Dear God, Nat- how-?" He sputtered, rushing towards her and dropping the communicator. He paled considerably at the swathes of red coating most of her body as he got a better view.

Natasha looked at him, her eyes flying to the girl. "I'm fine- there was a second bomb. Let's get the kid out of here." She moved to sit on the floor.

"Are you- are you sure you don't need medical attention, Nat? That's a lot of blood…" He argued, grabbing her upper arm to get her attention.

Natasha winced. "Clint. The kid." She spoke firmly, glaring weakly at him. "She comes first."

He was hesitant to leave her side, but begrudgingly agreed- it was true, the girl came first. Still, that didn't stop him from gently escorting her to the remaining bunk and forcing her to lie down on it despite her protests. "You need medical attention. Rest; I'll get us moving." He made sure she was lying comfortably before pouring water over her burns to clean them quickly.

Upon an examination of her injuries, the burns were mainly first degrees, which was good. Unfortunately, there were definitely some areas with second degree burns; however, most of the bleeding seemed to come from two knife-like wounds on her shoulder and upper back.

He rushed over to the cockpit and started the quinjet, entering in their destination and lifting off smoothly.

"I think I'm delusional… I think I can hear Steve," Natasha replied in utter confusion, closing her eyes. "Tell him I'm sleeping or taking a bath..."

"Oh, shit-" He cut off, eyeing the sleeping child warily, "I forgot about Steve!" He scooped up the communicator and pressed it to his ear. "Hello? Steve?"

Steve's worried voice filtered through. "Clint? What's wrong? Is Natasha alright?"

Clint looked over at Natasha. "Uhm… yes… We're on our way back now."

"You had us all worried, Clint! Half the team was preparing to go on a rescue mission!"

Clint winced guiltily. "That was my fault- dropped the phone and forgot about it. Gotta go now, Steve, the plane doesn't fly itself." The plane did, in fact, fly itself- that was what it was doing that very moment- but he needed an excuse to cut the conversation short. He hung up before Steve could object.

"If I did go out with Steve… you don't think he'd make me wear a dress, do you?" Natasha randomly questioned.

Clint eyed her suspiciously. "Man, you really _are_ delusional, aren't you?"

"What? It's an honest question-"

"That's your concern about dating him? Dressing differently?" Clint shook his head in dismay- that was not what he was expecting. He heard her moving to sit up. "Lay back down."

"I'm down," Natasha replied, annoyed. "Maybe I could set Steve up with somebody else- that'll keep him going in a different direction. Is Maria dating anybody?"

"How the hell would I know that? I'm not the Avengers gossip!" He snarked, turning his attentions to the computer and pressing several buttons, hoping to look busy enough that she'd lay off.

"What about your ex, Bobbi? Didn't she and her husband divorce a few years back? She's a good height for him," Natasha continued talking. "Is there any burn cream around here?"

" I think so… Ah, here!" He grabbed it and tossed it to her, immediately regretting it afterwards as she surely wouldn't catch it in her state.

Natasha did catch it and then sat up, pulling a face of pain. "You do know that this plane _does_ fly itself, right?" She questioned sarcastically. "I'm bleeding to death here- get off your arse, Clint."

He sighed and trudged over, taking the bottle from her. "Sorry. And no, Bobbi is _not_ going to like Steve. Now stop suddenly obsessing over this before I get a headache."

Natasha sat up, obviously more mobile than he had originally predicted. "You're the one who wanted to talk about Steve's love-life."

"Yeah, but that was before you got yourself beaten and burned half to death, Nat! His love-life is the last thing to think about right now as you're _literally_ bleeding to death!" He cried, gesticulating wildly. After all that had happened in such a short time period, it was quite clear that he was very frazzled and a bit overwhelmed at this point.

"Stop shouting like a teenager, you'll wake the kid," Natasha scolded as she dropped the bottle into his hands. "Just put the cream on, stick the wounds and cover any serious burns in bandages." She ordered.

He nodded and did as told, shooting a furtive glance at the little girl every few minutes. "Are you feeling any better?" He asked after a while, as her shoulders appeared to have loosened from their tenseness.

"I'm fine. You good?" Natasha responded as she turned and faced him.

Clint took a deep breath and finished tying off a bandage. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm good. Worried, a bit in shock, but I'm good." He said, nodding to add emphasis.

"Do you need a hug?" Natasha asked rhetorically, before adding, "I'm sure the kid will give you one."

Clint laughed sarcastically. "Very funny, Nat. Anyway, who's kid is this?" He asked, gesturing towards the sleeping child.

A smirk made its way onto Natasha's face. "I thought you already knew."

"Uh, no. I know she's an agent's kid, but I don't know _which_ agent's."

Her smirk somehow grew. "I can't tell you."

"What? Come on, Nat."

She shook her head. "I can't reveal somebody else's secrets, just like I wouldn't tell anybody about your children." He pouted, but she did have a point- he trusted her completely with his secrets, and even though it was annoying when she didn't tell him things, he appreciated it. "I would hurry up and get her back to the base, like Fury told us."

He mock-saluted. "Sir, yessir!" And then he was back in the cockpit, taking over steering the quinjet and pouring every ounce of speed into it. He wanted to get the little girl dropped off quickly and safely to whomever her parents are. And the sooner the kid was gone, the sooner he could get Natasha medical treatment.

* * *

Natasha was sitting cross-legged on the bed, glaring at the door. She had been told to lie down multiple times, but was pissed that the 'wonder machine', used to heal Clint's back when his side was practically shot off while getting the scepter back, didn't work on burns. Something about it not affecting the tissue, just the skin. Her back, arms, and shoulders were bandaged up. Her legs were fine, which made her more annoyed when she was told to stay; she was fine. Idiot doctors.

But, she listened to them and stayed; for now, anyway.

She was still glaring at the door when Steve happened to walk through it, seemingly catching him by surprise when he was immediately under her scrutiny. "How are you?" He asked, making his way to sit in the chair by her side.

"Stop," Natasha said, watching him halt; she pointed to the flowers in his hand. "Bin them, I'm not sick. And I don't need nor want flowers."

"Oh." He said, seeming crestfallen. He threw the offending plants in the trash before looking awkwardly to her. "How are you?" He asked again.

"Fine. Why do people keep asking me that? It was just a small explosion- barely grazed me," Natasha replied, irritated. She had told herself that she'd stab the next person who asked her with the knife in her hand, but didn't want to stab Steve. "Fine, give me the flowers." She decided, holding out her knife-less hand.

Steve brightened and handed them to her, smiling fondly. "People keep asking because people care. Also, it's one of the few appropriate things to say in this situation."

Natasha smelt the flowers. "Well, it's annoying." She replied, placing them gently onto the bed beside her. "How are you?" She asked him.

"Me? I'm fine; I wasn't the one involved in a 'small explosion.'" He said cheekily.

She turned, her mostly bare legs slipping out of the covers and over the side of the bed. "Mind escorting me to my bedroom?"

He blushed a little before shaking his head. "Sorry, no can do. You're under specific instructions to stay here."

"If you don't help me break out, I'll just leave on my own… and who knows what could happen to me, all by myself," Natasha said with an innocent pout in his direction before slipping off the bed, onto her feet and picking up the flowers. "Your choice, Steve."

Steve looked indecisive for a few moments, his natural desire to follow orders probably clashing with his desire to help the woman he cared about. Eventually he nodded and came to her side, helping her to stand fully upright. "Fine, but if we get in trouble, you're taking the blame." He said childishly.

"Like anybody would believe you've done something against the rules; they'd much rather believe I drugged you to cooperate," She replied easily, slipping her least injured arm around his shoulders- even though she didn't need his help to walk. "Can we get out of the door discreetly?" She questioned, glancing at the window as a possible exit strategy. With her free hand, she picked up the flowers.

"Well, considering everyone's fussing over a training incident a few doors down, I assure you that Sam is the only person they'd notice leaving right now." Steve replied confidently, slipping through the door and making a show of searching the empty hallway for any stragglers.

"What happened?" Natasha inquired; she couldn't help but wonder if it involved Wanda in any way. She would never admit that she had grown fond of the young girl.

Steve winced. "Well, let's just say that Sam won't be walking in straight lines for a while, and both Rhodey's pride and shins may be damaged for quite some time."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Males are such idiots." She commented as she started walking, giving him a tug.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What is it?"

"You're walking like an old man, pick up the pace," Natasha replied impatiently.

"Ugh, fine." He conceded, walking faster until they reached her room.

Natasha let go of him and unlocked her door before stepping inside and looking at him. "Did you want to come in, too?" She offered, leaving the door open as she walked over to her wardrobe, wanting to change out of the gown she was in; she had been forced into it after being bandaged up.

"Oh, um, sure." He accepted, closing her door behind him. "Nice place."

Natasha glanced around the room; it was mainly as it came, but with thicker red sheets, random cushions that Clint kept randomly sending her and weapons neatly scattered on the side. "Thanks." She replied before pulling out pyjamas; no point in actually dressing. "I'm going to change." She spoke, giving him less than a second's warning before letting the gown drop to the floor.

"Whoa-!" He exclaimed, bringing up his hands to cover his eyes. "Natasha-!"

Natasha stared at him for a few seconds. "What? I warned you." She pointed out before slipping into the loose fitting clothes. "I'm decent," She informed him.

He hesitantly dropped his hands. "You most certainly did not! You don't say you're going to change and then strip two seconds later!"

She looked at him, confused, for a few moments. "Steve, I don't care if you see anything. It doesn't bother me."

"But it bothers _me_! I don't want to invade your privacy like that!" He insisted.

"It's not an invasion of privacy if you have permission," Natasha informed him as she rolled her eyes and walked over to her private fridge, pulling out two bottles of water, throwing one over to him before walking over to the bed to sit down.

He sighed but didn't comment further. "Did you irritate any of your burns on the way here?" He asked worriedly. "Walking can rub the bandages against them if you're not careful."

"No, it's mainly confined to my back, so most movements are fine," Natasha answered honestly. "Stop being so… concerned; just act as if I wasn't nearly blown up."

Steve blinked. "That might just be the most outlandish request you've made of me all week. You ask me not to be concerned… and then you talk about getting blown up!" He was frowning in disapproval. "Being concerned isn't something I can control; it's a feeling. It's hard not to be concerned, Natasha- you're obviously not okay, and you were in an explosion; it's frustrating that you ask me to pretend that everything is okay!"

"If this is what a relationship with you is going to be like, I think I'll pass," Natasha commented with a roll of her eyes; he was so damn annoying. She took a few gulps of water, her eyes discreetly watching Steve.

His eyes had widened slightly before he sighed in frustration. "There's no need to bring that into this. It has nothing to do with this situation, and saying something like that so casually as some sort of comeback is low, Natasha. You have no right to use that as a weapon." On this he was firm.

Natasha gulped, "That's not what I meant. You're just blowing this all out of proportion. You're worse than Clint." She added in another roll of her eyes and a sigh. "It's not like I was shot or anything- it's a few minor burns, and you are treating me as if I had just nearly died; which I did not."

Steve shook his head. "You could have, for all I know!" He said, a little louder than he should have. "You downplay _everything_ , so how am I supposed to know what really happened? I care, and I was so worried, and suddenly you're insisting that everything is normal! You got _blown up_! Your back is covered in burns! That's not normal! So excuse me for caring about you!" He was clearly frustrated and at his wit's end.

"That doesn't mean you have to be so annoying," Natasha commented, dismissing what he said, ignoring everything she was feeling; she maintained the cool expression of uncaring.

He took a deep breath to keep control of himself and lowered his head, looking decidedly sad. "I was scared, Natasha. For a moment, when they wheeled you in, covered in burns, I was scared. I had no idea what happened to you, how you got so hurt. You're still hurting, despite how well you hide it, and you still won't tell me what happened. Do you realize how frustrating and unnerving that can be? I just wanted to know." His voice was pitifully quiet.

Great- how did he manage to make her feel bad at not showing her emotions? "I made sure Clint had gotten out with the hostage we rescued. Disabled the bomb. Collected the bike and had just left the building when a second bomb went off on the top floor. I was thrown forward, but it wasn't much of a direct hit. I was hit by rocks and bricks. I got back onto the bike and rode to the extraction point. That's what happened, and I'd rather not have to relive every damn injury I receive or talk about it, because it's not a nice thing. Pretending everything is normal is what keeps me _sane_. Okay?" She didn't care that her voice had turned slightly patronising towards the end.

He sat on the couch and rested his head in his hands for a few moments before taking a deep breath and looking back to her. "Alright, I'm sorry, Natasha. I was being a little too pushy, so I'm sorry." He placated.

"It's fine," Natasha replied, dismissing his apology.

"And Natasha?" He asked. "Thank you for telling me about what happened. It really means a lot to me." His smile was small but genuine.

"Okay, no getting sappy on me, or I'll ask you to leave," Natasha told him firmly.

"Okay, sorry." Steve amended. He stood up and approached. "Did you need anything? I could make some soup, if you're hungry." He offered.

She shook her head. "Actually, I think I might just get some rest."

Steve nodded. "Right, yes. Of course. You're injured, so you need your rest. I'll just… I'll just leave you to it, then." He said rather awkwardly. He started towards the door. "Sleep well!"

"Steve," Natasha called, halting him. "I think we should set some time aside to talk about… us."

He looked surprised, but offered a big smile. "You're right. Will you be available tomorrow?" He asked, looking hopeful.

"I doubt I'll be allowed to leave; Clint is probably listening right now, making sure I'm not planning on disappearing- Yes, I'll be free tomorrow."

"Great! Hey, I can bring a movie if you'd like, considering there's not much else to do in here."

"Sure; anything but Star Wars."

He grinned. "Alright, alright, I'll find something else. I'll see you tomorrow, Natasha." He started towards the door again.

"Bye, Steve." Natasha waited until he left before sliding out of bed and putting the flowers into a vase, turning out the lights, getting back into bed and falling into a much-welcomed sleep.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Next chapter up probably Friday with a surprise :D**


	13. You should have this password-protected

**Author's Note:**

 **An amazing response over the last chapter or two! Honestly, it's amazing! Thank you every so much!**

 **I'm going to give a shoutout to all those who review in the two chapters: STEELERS; Baibe; grossly-sweet; princess2015; Amy Hamato; Sportsfan64; supesfan18; Sanctuaria; RukiaDeathKuchiki :D**

 **ThisVioletofMine - Beta + Co-writer!**

* * *

Natasha was sitting on her bed, wearing loose jogging bottoms and holding a towel over her chest as Clint was putting cream on her and replacing her bandages.

"Shit, Nat, how badly did you get 'slightly grazed'?" Clint demanded as he applied more salve to a particularly nasty wound.

"Don't," Natasha grumbled. She was grumpy because it was surprisingly tough to sleep on her front- it wasn't really the pain that annoyed her as much as the fact that she always slept on her back, and was unused to sleeping differently. "We both know I've have worse, and you have, too."

"Yeah, but at least _my_ wounds were more aesthetically pleasing than _this_ gory mess! I don't think this even counts as a back anymore- just one big burn." Clint shot back, annoyed at how dismissive she was being.

Natasha turned her head around to look at him. "You do remember that _I_ was the one who found you after you were stabbed in both ears with arrows, right?"

He shuddered and finished taping a bandage in place. "Don't remind me. I'm just saying, this looks _really_ bad."

"It's because they're burns- just hurry up," Natasha muttered impatiently; her back was painful and itchy like crazy. "It looks worse than it is- and I don't want anybody else seeing my back."

He raised an eyebrow and continued smearing cream on her back. "Why the rush? Oh, are you expecting lover-boy soon? You don't want me to be a third wheel?"

With a roll of her eyes, she whacked his leg. "No. I don't want anybody seeing my back." She repeated. "Also, it has come to my attention that it is not common to change in front of people, even if you gave them a warning beforehand. I want to get dressed in case anybody comes knocking on that door."

It was Clint's turn to roll his eyes. "Lemme guess- your definition of 'beforehand' is 'two-to-three seconds before dropping your pants'? Because, outside of our little best friend circle, that's not considered an appropriate warning time."

"I figured that out," Natasha sighed. "Are you done yet? How long does it take?"

"Hang on, hang on, don't get your leather panties in a twist. I'm just… about… done! There, all bandaged and hidden from sight."

Natasha stood up. "Warning," She muttered before dropping her towel and pulling on a top, then a hoodie, which she zipped up immediately.

Clint, used to this sort of thing by now, had turned his head the moment she spoke and was only now looking at her again. "What's with the getup? You're not going anywhere, are you?" It was both a question and a reminder that he wouldn't let her get far if she tried to leave.

"I have kids to coach and I wanted to check on Wanda and make sure that Sam and Rhodey are alright after the small incident yesterday." Natasha spoke. "And- fuck off, I can take care of myself." She added, although her sly smile showed she wasn't actually annoyed with him; it was just empty words.

He nodded slowly before sighing. "You heard about the Grapefruit Debacle? I thought you were delirious yesterday."

"I know everything." Natasha informed him. "You should be heading home right now, don't let me hold you here. You're only worrying the kids- they were expecting you last night."

At the mention of his children, he smiled. "That's just playing dirty, you manipulator!" But as he said it, he began packing up his things to leave.

"Thank you," Natasha said before walking out of the room. Neither of them were much for the traditional 'goodbyes' others seemed to do.

* * *

Natasha poked her head into the gym, it being the third place she had checked- why she hadn't thought to come here first was beyond her. It was obviously the most logical place. She watched Steve coaching Wanda and kept to the side, silently observing.

Wanda was the first to see her, as Steve's back was to her. "Natasha! You're here!" She exclaimed, darting past Steve to run over to her- so much for watching them train. "How are you?"

"Yeah, feeling better?" Steve added, approaching in a much slower and calmer manner. "I thought we'd agreed that _I'd_ come to _you_."

"I'm fine, Wanda, thanks. How are you?"

"Great! Happy to see you!"

"Do you mind if I steal Steve for a little while?"

Wanda shook her head, backing off a few steps before exiting the room, leaving her and Steve alone.

"Everything alright?" Steve asked conversationally, taking a swig of water from his water bottle.

Natasha stepped into the gym; she didn't think anybody would let her train right now. "Yes, I was just bored… but mainly feared what movie you might be forcing me to watch; thought I could help with the selection process. I didn't mean to interrupt the training session."

"Oh, it's fine. We were just working on patching up a few of her defensive positions, not too important. And, uh, sure, your help would be great! Anything specific you wanted to watch?" He asked.

Natasha shrugged. "Not a clue. Do you know any ballet movies?"

He smiled in amusement. "Well, considering ballet was never something I've focused on, and considering I missed out on several decades' worth of movies, it's safe to say I don't."

"Ballet was around in the forties-it hasn't changed at all," Natasha pointed out. "How about we find a laptop to actually search for movies? Unless you have any in mind you wanted to watch?"

"My list mostly consists of things like Star Trek and Star Wars, so it'd be safer to just search on a laptop- you'll have to do most of it, though, considering I have a hard time figuring those things out still." He said somewhat sheepishly.

"I'll show you- it's not that hard. Come on," Natasha said before exiting the gym and heading towards all the bedrooms.

"Alright, sounds good." He agreed, following.

* * *

Natasha followed Steve into his bedroom, pausing for a few moments to analyse her surroundings, memorising all of the exits, possible weapons and hiding places. She continued smoothly and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Alright, Stark gave me this thing," He said, producing a laptop from underneath a book on his nightstand, "a few months ago, and I haven't used it more than once." He blew off a layer of dust for added effect.

She rolled her eyes as she took it from him and opened it, turning it on. "Did he give you a charger, too?"

"Um, yeah- it's around here… somewhere…" He ducked down and searched under the bed, letting out an "Ah-hah!" when he found it. "Here."

Natasha plugged it in, waited a few seconds and then turned it on. "You should really have this password-protected." She commented casually. "Come here so I can show you how to search for movies; I'll pull up my Netflix account."

Steve scooted closer and peered over her shoulder. "I don't need to password-protect something that has no information on it whatsoever." He argued distractedly.

She sent him an 'are-you-serious' look. "There is so much to teach you," She pulled up what she needed and scrolled down. "How about this one? It's new out and I have no clue what it's about."

"Um, sure. So you can just watch it? With no physical copy of it? Stark was telling me about that, but I still can't quite believe it."

"Just click on the film and hit play," Natasha instructed as she put the movie on and placed it at the bottom of the bed. She then turned up the volume and crossed her legs. She positioned herself so she was half facing the screen, half facing Steve- it wasn't like she cared about the movie, anyway.

"That's really cool!" He exclaimed before noticing her looking at him. "Oh, are we going to talk while the movie's playing?"

Natasha gave him a patronising nod. "Yeah. Most people don't give films their full attention; too much to do."

"That's fine; a movie called 'My Heart Yearns' can't possibly be too incredibly interesting." He agreed, shifting to face her a little.

"Exactly," Natasha commented, but didn't say anything further. She had asked him to talk and then went out of her way to find him so they could talk… but now that she was here, she had no clue what to say.

Steve was apparently having the same issue. His eyes were blankly fixed on the tiny woman dancing on the screen, but his mind appeared to be elsewhere. "So… you wanted to talk about 'us'." He finally said.

"Did I?" Natasha questioned immediately. No, she berated herself silently. She was not going to run and hide like a little girl. "I did. I do want to talk about us." She confirmed.

"Me too." He replied. "I honestly think that, given time and patience, we could work out. I really do, and I really want to try." He confessed.

Oh god, maybe this was a bad idea. Could she actually do this? She glanced at the screen for a few seconds before looking back at him. "Work _what_ out? What did you want as an endgame?"

He blinked. "No, I meant work out as a _couple_. I want to… Well, I want to try being in a relationship with you."

"Yes," Natasha spoke, pausing for a moment. "What endgame did you want out of this… relationship?"

"I…" He faltered, looking a little insecure. "I want… Well, I want to marry you, if everything works out eventually, but if you're not interested in that, I guess the one thing I really want is for you to love me back. That's all."

"Back? Love you _back_?" Natasha questioned, her eyes widening as she stared at him, completely at loss of words or what to do. Love him back? What did that mean? He loved her? That was impossible, she was… unlovable. She had no place in the world.

He blushed a little. Then he stared at the screen again, and Natasha did too, gazing at the woman who was now fainting for some reason or another. Then he returned his gaze to her with determination. "Yes. Back. I… I love you, Natasha, and I have for a while."

"No… no… no, no," Natasha muttered. "Even normal relationships don't happen like that… you're supposed to date for months before dropping the 'I love you'. You're just confused right now- probably got hit in the head or something. You can't love me."

He blanched and looked away again. "No, _you're_ confused. We've known each other for a long time now, Natasha, and each and every day I've fallen a little more in love. You don't need to be dating for that to happen."

"No, no, you do." Natasha informed him. "Because when the 'I love you' is dropped, then comes the engagement and then marriage and the kids and a picket fence with two dogs running around and…" She stopped suddenly. She was definitely getting off-track right now. She turned her attention to the screen- great, two women were kissing.

"Not… Not necessarily, Natasha… I'm saying that _I_ possess the feelings of love and that's why I want to try a relationship with you. You don't love me yet, and that's what the dating would hopefully change. I just wanted to test things out and see if you could learn to love me." Steve said quietly, narrowing his eyebrows when one woman's boyfriend walked in and began another musical number about abandonment. This movie made no sense.

"That's…" Natasha sighed, her composure deflating slightly as she let go of the fake expression/composure/facade. "Fine, I'll give it a go." She agreed. She was definitely not about to tell him that she might actually share his feelings; but if this was what he wanted, then she could let go and give it a shot- what was the worst that could happen?

His eyes widened exponentially and his mouth gaped. "You-? Really? You will?" He whispered in shock. It was clear he hadn't been expecting her to agree so soon.

"But we are keeping this between the two of us, or at least to a limited amount of mutually decided individuals- agreed?"

"Y-yeah! Agreed!" His smile was a mile wide and his eyes were positively sparkling.

Natasha stood up suddenly, and his face dropped for a split second. "Stand up- let's dance." She leant down and turned up the volume- the song was halfway through already, but she didn't care.

Steve's face was absolutely priceless. His mouth was agape again and he stumbled to stand in front of her. "May I have this dance?" He asked with exaggerated charm, extending a hand.

Natasha had to force herself to not roll her eyes again. "Yes, you may." She laid her hand in his and pulled him towards her.

His hand slipped around her waist to her mid-back and he held her hand with the other. She started to lead him with slow steps- it was mainly swaying after a few minutes, since the music had ended and they had no rhythm to go from.

"I already like this more," He told her softly.

"Like what more?"

Steve stopped moving and she looked up at him. "Us. This is already much better than when we were pretending to date."

"Real life if always better than undercover work," Natasha replied, the words honest. Being undercover as Steve's girlfriend was fun and entertaining, but it wasn't real. She was about to enter into something real, and she was terrified- not that she'd admit that. She leant into his embrace and they swayed to their own rhythm.

They were still dancing long after the film had stopped.

 **End**

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Okay! Don't panic, this isn't the end. It's going onto a new story, continuing directly from this point!**

 **I felt it was important to start a new story, a sequel, as this story isn't about being Undercover as Steve's Girlfriend; she's just agreed to actually date him (And I'm going to clarify, there was no trick when she agreed to date him; she just did it.).**

 **Anyway, I want to give a really, really long note thanking everybody individually like I do at the end of most long stories, but this isn't the end and I doubt any of you want to read it all!**

 **Please, Please review! I'd love it! I'd love to see how you thought about this!**

 **And then, feel free to make your way over to the new story, continuing from this point. It's called: Learning To Love**

 **It can be found at the following link:** s/11721020/1/Learning-To-Love

 **So, this basically mean, because I've decided to move it onto another story and work with a different story arc: You get two chapters in one day! :D**


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